38 ■ THE WOLFPACKER
BY NOAH FLEISCHMAN
hen NC State offen-
sive coordinator Kurt
Roper recently looked
back on the recruit-
ment of running back
Hollywood Smoth-
ers out of Charlotte
(N.C.) Julius Cham-
bers High in 2021, he jokingly said it re-
minded him of trying to date his now-
wife, Britt.
The similarity? Both initially told Roper
no, the Pack's new play-caller said with
a laugh.
Smothers, a two-time North Carolina
High School Offensive Player of the Year,
turned down Roper's attempt to bring
him to Raleigh, committing instead to
Oklahoma. He spent his freshman season
with the Sooners before reconsidering his
decision and transferring to NC State a
year later. In doing so, he was reunited
with a group of Wolfpack coaches who
had poured themselves into his initial
high school recruitment.
Smothers' return to his home state paid
dividends for both parties. The 5-foot-11,
195-pound player emerged as the Wolf-
pack's top running back by the end of the
HOLLYWOOD
ENDING
Last Year's Late-Season Surge Has Boosted
Running Back Hollywood Smothers' Outlook In 2025
W
Smothers was NC State's leading rusher with 571 yards on the ground
and a 6.4-yard average. He had 101 more yards than the team's second-
leading rusher, Jordan Waters, despite receiving 6 fewer carries.
PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE FOOTBALL
