The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545830
34 ■ THE WOLFPACKER ❱ ❱ ❱ SPECIAL TEAMS A CHANGE IS IN THE AIR BY NOAH FLEISCHMAN P unter Caden Noonkester, a four-year starter, was part of a lineage of dependable Wolfpack punters. During his time in Raleigh, he compiled the third- best career average in program history at 43.1 yards per attempt. While Noonkester has moved on after exhausting his eligibility, NC State shouldn't miss a beat going into the 2026 campaign. The staff found an accomplished replacement in the transfer portal, landing Arkansas State's Jackson Waller to flip the field. Waller, who started his career at SMU, had a break- out redshirt freshman campaign last fall in which he averaged 41.3 yards per attempt, with 19 punts downed inside the 20-yard line during his lone sea- son with the Red Wolves. The first left-footed punter to play for head coach Dave Doeren, he fit exactly what the Pack was looking for in the transfer portal. "Jackson has been great to be around. He's a guy that is professional about his business," Doeren said. "He's a lot different than Caden, who was kind of a free spirit. Jackson's pretty locked in all the time, has his routine and knows what he's doing. He's a pretty easy guy to have on the roster." While Waller is a newcomer, the Wolfpack's other special- ists are familiar faces. Both of its kickers — graduate Kanoah Vinesett and junior Nick Konieczynski — are back, as is senior long snapper Aiden Arias. The kicking game featured both Konieczynski and Vinesett last fall. Konieczynski earned the job out of camp but hit just 1 of 3 field goal attempts in the Pack's season opener against East Carolina, opening the door for Vinesett to take over as the go-to option on field goals for the rest of the year. Despite the early setback, Konieczynski was effective throughout the season as the Wolfpack's kickoff specialist. Vinesett, meanwhile, was called upon infre- quently due to NC State's 90.9 percent red zone conversion rate, but he made 5 of 6 at- tempts on the season, with a long of 51 yards in the Gasparilla Bowl. Ad- ditionally, Vinesett hit 48 of 49 extra-point attempts last fall. Doeren was quick to describe both kickers as "experienced and confident," which is the ultimate combination for a position that relies on immense self-belief. The same could be said for the rest of the specialists, including Waller. Even though Noonkester's reign is over, NC State doesn't expect to take a step back on special teams. BY THE NUMBERS 1 Total number of extra points Kanoah Vinesett has missed in his career. He's 83 of 84 in his two seasons as NC State's kicking specialist. 3 Punts that Jackson Waller landed inside Appalachian State's 20-yard line, on 5 attempts, in a 30-29 Arkansas State win last November. 18.6 Percentage of Waller's punts that were returned last season. Twenty- one of his 59 attempts were fair caught, 17 went out of bounds, 8 were downed by the Red Wolves and 2 went into the end zone for touchbacks. ■ POSITIONAL GRADES ★★★★ Among country's best; ★★★ Among ACC's best; ★★ Solid or has potential; ★ Too unproven STARTER ★★★ NC State has proven starters at all three specialist positions. Long snapper Aiden Arias and kicker Kanoah Vinesett are looking to continue their previous success in Wolfpack uniforms, while punter Jackson Waller is eager to start writing his own chapter in the program's long history of punting success. They have what it takes to become one of the ACC's best trios. EXPERIENCE ★★★ All three of the Wolfpack's starting specialists have at least one season of experi- ence as the main player at their respective positions. That sets up well for this fall, since NC State knows exactly what it will get from each of them. DEPTH ★½ NC State's backup long snapper and punter have yet to see action at the colle- giate level, while its second-string kicker, Nick Konieczynski, has one game of place- kicking in his tenure. If there's an injury, the Pack will be in uncharted waters. OVERALL GRADE ★★★ The Wolfpack always has high expectations for its specialists, and this year is no different. Vinesett has the potential to be one of the ACC's top kickers, while Waller is an emerging star. PROJECTED DEPTH CHART STARTERS No. Pos. Name Cl. Ht. Wt. Hometown 94 PK Kanoah Vinesett Gr. 6-1 205 Rock Hill, S.C. 96 P Jackson Waller Jr. 6-2 214 Katy, Texas 92 LS Aiden Arias Sr. 6-0 207 Fort Lauderdale, Fla. BACKUPS 91 PK Nick Konieczynski Jr. 5-11 215 Matthews, N.C. 97 P Christian Harthan So. 6-5 195 Waxhaw, N.C. 60 LS Taylon Tranel Fr. 5-10 215 Cameron, N.C. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT PLAYER JUNIOR PUNTER JACKSON WALLER Waller is well aware of NC State's long history of successful punters. One of the main reasons he transferred from Arkansas State was because of the NFL success A.J. Cole III and Trenton Gill have enjoyed after shining for the Wolf- pack. "My main goal is to make the NFL like the rest of those guys," Waller said. "I feel there is no other place in America that produces that many specialists." Waller has three more years of eligibility in which to develop within NC State's program. He got a taste of college football at Arkansas State and is look- ing to use that experience as a foundation. KANOAH VINESETT