The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1538921
30 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY NOAH FLEISCHMAN he NC State football team spent much of its summer inside its 15,000-square- foot weight room, working to improve for the 2025 cam- paign. The team wasn't happy about its 6-7 finish in 2024, just the third losing season under coach Dave Doeren. Determined to right that wrong, Wolfpack players excelled dur- ing the end-of-summer strength and agility testing session. Here's a look at NC State's most elite athletes, using intel gleaned from this summer's weight room performance. The list was inspired by The Athletic's Bruce Feldman, who for the past 20 years has ranked college football's most "freakish" athletes. Honorable Mention: WR Wesley Grimes Whenever someone runs faster than most at the NFL Combine, they're due to make this list. That's exactly what Grimes, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound senior, did with his team-leading 4.24-second time in the 40-yard dash. "He ran fast last year, but he ran even faster this year," said Dantonio Burnette, NC State's director of strength and per- formance. "His legs are stronger, he's more explosive." Grimes' track speed should pay divi- dends during his final collegiate cam- paign. After posting 24 receptions for 319 yards and a touchdown during the 2024 season, he's primed to be one of the Wolfpack's burners at outside receiver in 2025. 5. S JJ Johnson NC State dipped into the transfer por- tal to find a starting safety this offseason, and it emerged with Johnson, a graduate student from Georgia State. The veteran joined the program in January and quickly became one of the more impressive play- ers in the Wolfpack weight room. Johnson was a fast learner and took to everything NC State's strength and con- ditioning staff gave him. As a result, he showed impressive growth in nearly ev- ery test he did. The 5-10, 200-pound de- fensive back logged the best broad jump (10 feet, 8.5 inches), the fourth-highest vertical jump (38.9 inches) and the fifth- best pro agility time (4.11 seconds) on the team. Johnson also performed well on the bench press and squat rack to earn his first SHOW OF SHOW OF STRENGTH STRENGTH These Are NC State's Most Freakishly Athletic Football Players T Though only a redshirt freshman, running back Duke Scott is one of the Pack's strongest players, having posted the team's top clean at 375 pounds. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS