The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/157974
wolfpack Football Cheek, who appeared in 34 games as a linebacker and totaled 14 tackles, offered to change positions after fullback Logan Winkles went down with a season-ending knee injury. photo by ken martin "Winkles is my dude," Cheek explained. "Ever since he got here, we've been best friends. We hang out every day. He has come back home with me before, our parents text each other. His mom actually texted my mom and she knew about it before I even got out of practice." It remains to be seen if Cheek, who had some very limited prep experience at fullback, will be able to crack the rotation on offense, a side of the ball where he hasn't played since high school. He quarterbacked a Wing-T system for the first three years of his career and then directed a shotgun attack for the first half of his senior year before his first unexpected position change, which also ended up with him at fullback. "We ended up switching back to the Wing-T and they wanted to get a young guy in at quarterback, so that he would have some experienced for the next year," he recalled. "At least that's what I told myself when I was moved — I don't know what the real reason was — but the last three or four games, I played fullback." Despite the fact that he didn't know where he was going on offense in his first practice, Cheek was immediately thrown into the fire. He received a ton of support from the teammates and coaches he had battled in the first half of fall camp and, although it wasn't as good as he wanted it to be, he said it was a good first day on the job. "They pointed me in the right direction and I just ran that way," he said. "It's not just the fullbacks helping me out, it's the offensive line, running backs, wide receivers. When we're standing on the sidelines, they're all in my ear and helping me out with the signals. Anytime I'm on the field and have a question, they're there to help." Cheek continues to work at his new position, including with extra time after practice, and also admitted that he's enjoying the chance to butt heads with the teammates he has shared meeting rooms with and lined 52 ■ the wolfpacker 50-56.Wolfpack Football.indd 52 8/23/13 3:23 PM