The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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58 ■ THE WOLFPACKER son and has tallied just 29 career tackles, but coaches rave about him. Senior Rodman Noel will also be in the mix. The former four-star recruit — the Pack's last in the Rivals.com rankings until this past cycle — possesses ideal size at 6-4 and 221 pounds, but did not start a game last year. The veteran of 36 games started five times in 2012, and finished that campaign with 38 tackles, including seven for loss. A plethora of youngsters will be thrown into the mix, including redshirt freshman Jerod Fernandez, last year's Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year, as well as early enrollee freshmen Ty Linton and Germaine Pratt, who could play either safety or linebacker. Redshirt freshmen Artemis Robinson, the younger brother of former NCSU star Terrell Manning, and Josh Jones, an athletic former safety, round out the spring group. ■ Offensive Line The Wolfpack is pretty well stocked in the backfield, provided junior running back Shadrach Thornton doesn't take a detour on his way back from an indefinite suspen- sion. He combines with sophomore Matt Dayes and fifth-year senior Tony Creecy to give the team an enviable stable of rushers. However, the Pack must improve up front to help the ball carriers. In addition to allowing 35 sacks, which tied for the second-most in the ACC, the Pack averaged just 3.8 yards per rush, which tied for 10th in the league, and scored just 17 red-zone touchdowns, a total higher than just seven other Football Bowl Subdivision schools. The promising news for NCSU is the only big man who started more than two games last year and departs is guard Duran Christophe. Now is the time for the offen- sive front — chock full of upperclassmen — to perform up to its experience. Fifth-year senior tackle Tyson Chan- dler leads the unit with 23 starts, and three others have double-digit starts under their belts. Chandler is likely to man right tackle, while junior Quinton Schooley — the only lineman to play every snap last year — is a safe bet to stay at center. Redshirt junior Alex Barr should man one guard spot, but the thing to watch will be where redshirt junior Joe Thuney, the team's best blocker last season, lines up. He is capable of playing anywhere up front. Fifth-year senior tackle Andy Jomantas and senior guard Ali Kassem round out the group with experience — although both have seen limited action — while a group of youngsters with no game experience pro- vide depth. Two of last year's freshmen that redshirted, Pat Roane and Tylar Reagan, drew rave reviews in practice, and a pair of early enrollees join this spring — guard Terronne Prescod and center Tony Adams. The possible return of fifth-year senior Rob Crisp could provide a shot in the arm for the group. The former five-star recruit has 13 career starts, and when asked about his possible return at the National Signing Day press conference, Doeren simply said: "We'll have to see where it goes." ■ Wide Receiver The Pack was not terribly productive through the air last season, and this spring the team must replace both of its top two receiving yardage leaders — Rashard Smith and Quintin Payton. Fortunately for the Red and White, a pair of true freshmen emerged as contribu- tors out wide — Jumichael Ramos, who finished with 24 catches for 352 yards and three touchdowns, and Marquez Valdes- Scantling, who totaled 22 receptions for 281 yards. Also returning is fifth-year senior Bryan Underwood, a veteran of 33 games who ranked second on the squad with 32 catches last year despite appearing in just seven games. Underwood has just eight starts on his résumé, but he has made 92 catches for 1,228 yards and 13 touchdowns. The rest of the wideouts on the 2014 roster have combined for 54 receptions, 701 receiv- ing yards and three scoring grabs — all of which came last year. Bra'Lon Cherry and Johnathan Alston both saw action as true freshmen last fall, while early enrollees Stephen Louis and Bo Hines join the fray this spring. ■ Defensive End The Pack's inability to stop the run was discussed before, and while the interior of the line looks stout, some new faces will need to step up on the edge. Two of the ends listed on the two-deep at the end of last year — Darryl Cato-Bishop and For- rest West — have graduated. The remaining two from the depth chart — fifth-year senior Art Norman, the Pack's Defensive Lineman of the Year last season, and redshirt junior Mike Rose — must lead the way for the unit. Norman, a veteran of 24 starts and 37 games played, started every contest last year and led the team with 4.5 sacks. He has logged 27.5 tackles for loss during his career, including 17 sacks, and an impres- sive 62 quarterback hurries. Meanwhile, Rose started four times in 2013, and fin- ished with four tackles behind the line of scrimmage and two sacks. Two of the program's highest-ranked re- cruits are defensive ends, where the team is in desperate need of bodies, but they will not arrive until the summer. That means converted linebacker Drew Davis — a red- shirt sophomore who showed flashes last year and finished with 20 tackles, including three for loss — and classmate Joe Wright, like many of their inexperienced teammates, will have plenty of opportunities this spring. Redshirt freshman Pharoah McKever came to college as a 6-6 wide receiver, but adds an athletic presence to the end position. ■ Fifth-year senior defensive end Art Norman, who was tabbed as the Pack's Defensive Lineman of the Year after recording 4.5 sacks last season, will look to improve his production for a position group that doesn't have a lot of experienced depth. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN 56,58.Spring Football.indd 58 2/25/14 3:42 PM