The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/337646
100 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL 2014 DEFENSIVE ROOKIE TO WATCH Josh Jones, R-Fr. S Redshirt freshman safety Josh Jones developed a reputation at Walled Lake (Mich.) Western High School for being a playmaker regardless of where you lined him up. On special teams, he returned three kicks for touchdowns as a junior, and as a senior averaged 17.1 yards on punt returns and 44.8 yards on kickoff runbacks. On offense, he scored 23 touchdowns as a senior on 104 total runs and catches, a rate of a score for just under every five times he touched the ball. Defensively, he had seven interceptions combined between his junior and senior years. No game illustrated Jones' playmaking skills than in the District 2 finals his senior year when he ran for three scores, caught passes for two more touchdowns and intercepted a pass in the Walled Lake Western win. Jones, who at one point committed to Toledo and then pledged for Illinois in the recruiting process, was an all-state selection and rose up the rankings to be considered the No. 8 player in Michigan by Rivals.com. He is quickly finding success at NC State no matter where the Pack has put him. Recruited as a safety, the 6-2, 210-pounder spent last fall redshirting while working out as a linebacker. After last season, NCSU decided to move him back to safety. He opened spring practices as a starter and played with the first string during the Kay Yow Spring Game April 12, posting four tackles and one pass broken up and seemingly put himself on the inside track to win a starting job in the defensive backfield. That played a big role in Jones finding himself on The Wolfpacker's top 25 at No. 22. Of all the defensive positions on the field, safety would be the most ideal place for an impact rookie. Redshirt junior Hakim Jones started all 12 games last year, piling up 61 tackles, two interceptions and eight passes broken up. Who starts alongside Hakim Jones is the question mark, however, especially if the Pack goes full speed ahead with a 4-2-5 defensive alignment that puts a fifth defensive back on the field. Senior Jarvis Byrd was granted a sixth season by the NCAA, but he is also coming off his third ACL tear. Redshirt junior Tim Buckley is a strong option after making 25 tackles as a reserve last year, but he is lining up at the nickel back where he could battle sophomore Dravious Wright. That leaves Jones, redshirt sophomore Josh Sessoms, early enrollees Kalen McCain and Germaine Pratt and incoming true freshman Shawn Boone as the candidates. Thus odds are decent whether it's Jones or maybe one of the class of 2014 imports, the biggest impact defensive rookie will be a safety. DEFENSIVE PLAYER TO WATCH Thomas Teal, 5th-Sr. DT The first five players on the top 25 list are all on the offensive side of the ball, recognizing how key improvement on that side of the ball is to NCSU's success in 2014. But it has often been said that defenses win championships, and the next five players in the top 25 are all prominent pieces of the Wolfpack's defensive unit. Headlining that group is defensive tackle Thomas Teal. The fifth-year senior is excited to be a veteran on the team, but it has not hit him sentimentally, like many upperclassmen, that this will be his last go-around. "It's still too early for me," Teal explained. He is more focused on preparing himself physically for the year. He had offseason knee surgery, and he estimated he played in the spring at about 80 percent. In order to stay at 100 percent once he fully recovers, Teal is on a mission to slim down to a more ideal weight. He arrived at NCSU in the fall of 2010 at about 340 pounds. He ended last year at 307, but gained about five pounds after his surgery. Near the end of spring he was down to 298. "I'm hoping to get to about 290 and get faster," he said. "I try to slim down to help the knee out a little, and then put back on some muscle. Hopefully I can get more plays on the field and help my team out." Teal has been a consistent performer on the defensive line for most of his career, which is probably why he found his way at No. 6 in the top 25. He became a full-time starter in 2012 and had 37 tackles, including 9.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks. Last year, he improved to 40 hits, including 10.5 behind the line of scrimmage and three sacks. He even played some defensive end in a pinch due to injuries. He has bigger ambitions for 2014. "I hope to be a team captain and lead the team in sacks," he said. "I also want to be motivation for the younger guys, to see how it should be played and leave a stepping-stone for them next season." Teal should have help. He's part of an interior line that also includes senior T.Y. McGill and sophomore Monty Nelson, two other players with prominent roles on the defense. "We can be really good," Teal said. "We have a lot of depth, we have a lot of people that actually know what they are doing and making plays. "It's exciting to see." Last season, Teal produced 40 total stops, 10.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN Jones made four tackles and broke up one pass in the spring game, and he appears to have the inside track to start at one of the safety positions. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN 98-100,102.Top 25 Players.indd 100 6/27/14 10:18 AM