The Wolfpacker

July 2014 - Football Preview

The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports

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102 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL 2014 OFFENSIVE ROOKIE TO WATCH Bo Hines, Fr. WR True freshman wide receiver Bo Hines did the best he could to prepare for this moment. After making the decision to graduate early from Charlotte Christian and enroll for the spring semester at NC State, Hines worked out with his father, Todd Hines, also his position coach all the way through high school. He then focused on having the right mental approach when getting up early for the winter workouts with the Wolf- pack strength and conditioning staff. "You have to get your mind right every morning," Hines said with a laugh. "You have to know you are going to go in there to work. If you set your mind right, you'll be good. "We have great strength coaches that really know what it takes to be great players. They pushed us hard this offseason, really hard. It was definitely good for us." Hines noted that he gained some weight on his 6-1, 190-pound frame, adding muscle, and that he improved his speed. The latter is encouraging considering he was a 200-meter dash state champ as a junior and has been timed as fast as 4.41 seconds in the 40-yard dash at a combine. The work Hines put in with his father and Jason Veltkamp's strength staff laid the foundation for spring ball. "I wanted to feel my way out at first," Hines said about his approach. "Obviously you want to earn the respect of your teammates. I was confident, but definitely just glad to be here. "The first couple of practices you are taken aback by the pace they are going with and just trying to figure out where they are going the first couple of periods. Once you are used to it, it gets a lot easier. I'm definitely glad I came up for it." So are the NC State coaches. In short time, Hines earned praises from both head coach Dave Doeren and receivers coach Frisman Jackson. He then backed up his coaches by shining in the spring game with 10 catches for 132 yards. He was so impressive that he checked in at No. 17 on The Wolfpacker's top 25 list. Hines attributed his spring success to his preparations. "It's a little more fast paced, but after the first couple of days you get used to it, and football is just football," Hines said. "Every practice you get more and more comfortable. Working with the ones feels good, and I am working on get - ting the timing right. It's definitely fun." Hines though is not content. Although he feels comfortable with the offense, he is eager to get more knowledgeable about it. "I just want to focus on getting into the playbook and know everything about the offense." Hines said, "And not just my position, — I want to learn what everyone is doing so I know what's going on around me." The Wild Cards Every season, the side-by-side comparison of the preseason and postseason top 25 lists reveals some dramatic differences. A prime example from last year was linebacker Robert Caldwell. A senior in 2013, Caldwell did not even make the preseason top 25. Then he rose up the depth chart during preseason camp and by the second game of the season was a starter. At the end of the year, Caldwell was the Pack's undisputed defensive MVP, earning honorable mention All-ACC accolades after tallying 105 tackles, fifth most in the league, and 14.5 hits for loss. Here are some candidates that have the potential to make the postseason top 25. • Both junior Shadrach Thornton and sophomore Matt Dayes made the preseason top 25, but the most impressive running back in the Kay Yow Spring Game April 12 was fifth-year senior Tony Creecy. He carried 11 times for 42 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The veteran ran for 877 yards and six touch - downs his first two seasons in Raleigh, but his numbers slipped when he carried 49 times for 131 yards and a score as a redshirt junior last season. If the spring game was an indication, Creecy could be returning to his prior form. • Two true freshmen receivers impressed in 2013. Jumichael Ramos made the cut on the top 25 list at No. 24. Marquez Valdes-Scantling could have easily made it as well. He caught 22 passes for 281 yards last year and earned three starts. The 6-3, 203-pounder has added strength to go with his track speed and has the potential to be a playmak - ing receiver. • One of the standout performers in the spring game was redshirt freshman linebacker Jerod Fer- nandez. Backing up junior M.J. Salahuddin in the middle, Fernandez had a scrimmage-high 11 tackles, including a sack. The competition for the start- ing job at middle linebacker is likely to continue throughout preseason camp. • With NCSU playing a lot more 4-2-5 defense in the spring, that means an extra defensive back (labeled the nickel back) will be on the field more often. Redshirt junior Tim Buckley seemed to have the inside track at the position heading out of the spring. Buckley had three tackles, including a sack, in the scrimmage. His top competition could be sophomore Dravi- ous Wright. After playing mainly special teams as a true freshman, Wright is looking for more time on defense this fall. He had a solo tackle and a pass breakup while splitting reps on the first string defense in the spring game. Hines turned heads with an impressive performance in the spring game that saw him haul in 10 passes for 132 yards. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN Redshirt freshman middle linebacker Je- rod Fernandez registered a team-high 11 tackles and one sack in the spring game. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN 98-100,102.Top 25 Players.indd 102 6/27/14 10:19 AM

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