The Wolfpacker

July 2014 - Football Preview

The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports

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116 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Top Storylines The toll of injuries: Perhaps defensive tackle Deion Roberson from Tucker (Ga.) High best exemplified the NC State recruiting class. Roberson was a fairly well-regarded recruit entering his high school senior year. Then he dislocated his ankle in the season opener. Some colleges backed off, but Roberson took official visits to NCSU and Louisville before signing with the Pack. Had Roberson been at NCSU when the injury happened, he likely would have fully recovered. Former Wolfpack tailback Brandon Barnes suffered the same injury in a preseason camp and was able to return to the field. Roberson's ankle, though, never healed, and he received a medical hardship without ever playing a snap. Others have seen their careers curtailed with injuries. Jarvis Byrd, a four-star defensive back according to Rivals.com, was the most highly touted recruit in the class. He has suffered a torn ACL three times. Running back James Washington also suffered a gruesome knee injury during his senior season, cutting his career short. Receiver/corner Rashard Smith (knee) and tight end Asa Watson (heart procedure) both missed a full season for health reasons. Senior drop-offs: This class was the first fifth-year senior group to play for head coach Dave Doeren. Coaching transitions can be the hardest on those players who had been coached a certain way for four years. For three players, the evidence is in the numbers. Receiver Quintin Payton went from 51 receptions for 798 yards and a pair of scores in 2012 to 23 catches for 481 yards and three touchdowns last year. Watson's receiving numbers dropped even more dramatically. He went from 24 catches for 282 yards and a score to just three receptions last year for 41 yards. On defense, end Darryl Cato-Bishop had 39 tackles as a redshirt junior, including 10 for loss and 5.5 sacks. It was his second straight campaign with at least five sacks. Last fall, Cato-Bishop had 24 tackles, including 4.5 for loss and half a sack. Those were his lowest totals since his rookie campaign in 2010. Lack of top talent: For the first time since the 1997 recruiting class, not a single one of the 23 signees that enrolled that fall would be drafted by the NFL. Out of every class since 1997, only in 2006 had there not been at least two members drafted. Linebacker Nate Irving was the only player selected from the 2006 class. Only one player, safety Brandan Bishop, was a first- or second-team All-ACC selection during their career. Bishop was picked for the second-team squad by the league's coaches as a senior in 2012. High attrition: In addition to Roberson never playing a snap for medical reasons, five different players were dis - missed from the team and five more would transfer out. If you add in four players who inked in 2009 but had to re-sign a year later for academic reasons, that means of the 27 signees announced on signing day, only 12 enrolled that fall and lasted their entire career in Raleigh. Bad ending: The combination of injuries, attrition, difficulty in dealing with a coaching transition and a general lack of top talent in the group all came together to produce a fifth-year senior class that was not able to effectively lead the Pack on the field this past fall. As a result, NCSU finished 3-9 overall and had its first winless season in the ACC since 1959. 2009 Recruiting Class Players Signed In Class: 27 Players Enrolled In 2009: 23 (OL Tyson Chan- dler, DL A.J. Ferguson, DL Raynard Randolph and WR Bryan Underwood did not enroll that year) Played As A True Freshman: 7 (DB Brandan Bishop, DB Jarvis Byrd, DT Brian Slay, DB Rashard Smith, RB James Washington, TE Asa Watson and OL Camden Wentz) Players With At Least One Start In Their Careers: 14 CLASS RANKINGS Rivals.com — No. 52 in the nation, No. 10 in the ACC. Scout.com — No. 39 in the nation, No. 6 in the ACC. HONORS Brandan Bishop — 2012: Second-team All-ACC (coaches), honorable mention All-ACC (writers). Darryl Cato-Bishop — 2012: Honorable men- tion All-ACC (writers). Camden Wentz — 2012: Honorable mention All-ACC (coaches and writers). NFL DRAFT Brandan Bishop — Minnesota Vikings, free agent, 2013. Darryl Cato-Bishop — New York Jets, free agent, 2014. Rashard Smith — Chicago Bears, free agent, 2014. Asa Watson — New England Patriots, free agent, 2014. Camden Wentz — Minnesota Vikings, free agent, 2014. YEAR-BY-YEAR RECORD 2009: 5-7 overall, 2-6 ACC 2010: 9-4 overall, 5-3 ACC, Champs Sports Bowl vs. West Virginia (W, 23-7) 2011: 8-5 overall, 4-4 ACC, Belk Bowl vs. Louisville (W, 31-24) 2012: 7-6 overall, 4-4 ACC, Franklin Ameri - can Mortgage Music City Bowl vs. Vanderbilt (L, 38-24) 2013: 3-9 overall, 0-8 ACC Defensive end Darryl Cato-Bishop, a three-year starter, finished his career with 11 sacks and 20.5 tackles for loss among 99 total stops, but saw his production fall off in his final season. FILE PHOTO 114-116,118,120.Class of 2009.indd 116 6/27/14 1:35 PM

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