The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/337646
84 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL 2014 Defensive End Roster STARTERS No. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown 95 Art Norman 5th-Sr. 6-0 252 Stone Mountain, Ga. Has piled up 17 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss in his career. He is tied with Ray Agnew and George Anderson for the seventh-most sacks in NCSU history. 90 Mike Rose R-Jr. 6-3 265 Fountain Inn, S.C. Started four games as a redshirt sophomore and finished the year with 26 tackles, including five for loss and a pair of sacks. RESERVES No. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown 91 Drew Davis R-So. 6-3 242 Raleigh Converted linebacker's tough-nosed, physical style of play has translated well to defensive end, and he earned strong praise from defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen for his performance in the spring. 99 Joe Wright R-So. 6-7 236 Greenville, N.C. Did not play much last year, but showed improvement in the spring and had four tackles, including two sacks, in the Kay Yow Spring Game. Will have to compete with talented freshmen in the fall. WAITING IN THE WINGS No. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown 54 Davion Allred R-Fr. 6-0 219 Raleigh Allred is a walk-on from nearby Millbrook High who had four tackles in the Kay Yow Spring Game. 49 Bradley Chubb Fr. 6-4 240 Powder Springs, Ga. Rated by Rivals.com as a three-star prospect and listed by 247Sports, Scout.com and ESPN as a top 60-player from the state of Georgia. 55 Deonte Holden Fr. 6-5 220 Hyattsville, Md. Ranked by Rivals.com as a three-star prospect, the No. 18 player from Maryland and the No. 31 strongside defensive end in the 2014 class. 87 Pharoah McKever R-Fr. 6-7 237 Tabor City, N.C. High school quarterback and safety permanently settled into defensive end in the spring. 35 Kentavius Street Fr. 6-2 264 Greenville, N.C. Played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and was the consensus top defensive prospect in the state in the 2014 class. Also rated by Rivals.com as the No. 43 recruit in the nation regardless of position. Defensive Tackle Roster STARTERS No. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown 75 T.Y. McGill Sr. 6-1 289 Jesup, Ga. Looking to regain sophomore year form when he had 50 tackles, including 10.5 for loss and five sacks, after making 25 tackles, with five for loss and two sacks, last season. 69 Thomas Teal 5th-Sr. 6-1 308 Bennettsville, S.C. Led NCSU defensive linemen with 40 tackles last season, including a unit-high 11 for loss and three sacks. RESERVES No. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown 96 Kenton Gibbs R-Fr. 6-2 289 Detroit Earned rave reviews before rupturing Achilles tendon in preseason camp last year, but defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen is optimistic Nelson is regaining his prior form after a solid spring. 98 B.J. Hill Fr. 6-4 283 Oakboro, N.C. Early enrollee has added more than 30 pounds since arriving on campus and played first string at nose tackle in the Kay Yow Spring Game. 94 Monty Nelson So. 6-2 313 Plantation, Fla. Could easily find himself in a starting role after a strong rookie season where he made 32 tackles, including 8.5 for loss. WAITING IN THE WINGS No. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown 93 Justin Jones Fr. 6-3 275 Austell, Ga. Could also figure into the mix at defensive end. His position will be settled in the fall. Rated by Rivals. com as a four-star recruit, the No. 241 player regardless of position in the 2014 class and the No. 14 strongside defensive end nationally. 97 Deshaywn Middleton Fr. 6-2 295 Winston-Salem, N.C. Ranked by Rivals.com as a three-star talent, the No. 22 player in the state and the No. 39 defensive tackle nationally in the 2014 class. 79 Tyler Smith R-Jr. 6-2 251 Raleigh Walk-on from nearby Broughton High who transferred in from Western Carolina. 68 Colton Stortz R-Fr. 6-4 260 Denver, N.C. Walk-on from East Lincoln High. Getting To Know: Monty Nelson Sophomore Monty Nelson has many accomplishments in his freshman year at NC State. Among them: • He started five games at defensive tackle, making him the Pack's only true freshman to start in the front seven on defense last year. • He was fourth on the team in tackles for loss with 8.5, including two in his career debut against Louisiana Tech when he also forced a fumble, He assisted on a sack against UNC for his lone hit on the QB. • He was named a second-team Freshman All-American by Athlon. The 6-2, 313-pounder seems primed to have a big career at NCSU, but he is taking nothing for granted. There are several reasons for that, and it begins with his background at Plantation (Fla.) High. With his father in the hospital, Nelson admits that during the latter portion of high school: "I wasn't able to fully focus on school the way I should have." That played a role in what Nelson described as having "most things pulled away from me" on the recruiting trail. NC State, however, was in a coaching transition and looking to fill out its 2013 recruiting class. They saw a potential gem in Nelson. "It was crazy," Nelson recalled. "I didn't have an offer from State until maybe late January. I was possibly looking at junior college. Coach [Ryan] Nielsen came in and took a chance. "Once he took that chance, I knew from then on you've got to make the most of it. He wants to get me to the next level, and I want to make it worth his while." Nielsen is NC State's defensive line coach and run-game defensive coordinator. He is also another reason why Nelson remains hungry for more success rather than resting on his freshman year accomplishments. "Coach Nielsen makes me work," Nelson stated. "You think you have a starting spot, but he can pull it away from you just like that." Outwardly, Nelson knows that he has a laid-back personality, but he said that it's entirely different inside. He learned from his mother the lesson of never settling. "My mom always said: 'Always get better and always get more,'" Nelson recalled. "I never want to get too comfort - able. I always want to stay hungry, and most importantly I want to get better." To that end, Nelson has added muscle mass to his frame and believes he has gotten faster. He is also applying some of the lessons he learned through his journey from the sidelines at Plantation High to the locker room at Carter- Finley Stadium in Raleigh. "I learned that through any kind of hardship, I can focus and get through it," Nelson said. "I've just got to believe in myself like people believe in me." — Matt Carter Quick Facts Position Coach: Ryan Nielsen (2nd season) Returning Starters: Monty Nelson (5 career starts), Art Norman (25) and Thomas Teal (24) Starter Lost: Darryl Cato-Bishop (29 career starts) FYI: Phil Steele listed fifth-year senior tackle Thomas Teal on its second-team preseason All-ACC squad. Teal's classmate, end Art Norman, was a fourth-team pick … Senior tackle T.Y. McGill was picked third-team preseason All-ACC by Athlon … Sophomore defen - sive tackle Monty Nelson was named a second-team Freshman All-American by Athlon after last season … Redshirt junior end Mike Rose ran the 100-merer dash in 10.90 seconds in high school … Redshirt soph- omore end Drew Davis was recruited as a linebacker after making 150 tackles as a senior at Broughton High School in Raleigh … Redshirt freshman end Pharoah McKever was signed to be a receiver after piling up 5,687 total yards as a prep quarterback for South Co- lumbus High in Tabor City, N.C., but he had experience on defense as well, making 280 career tackles and 18 picks at safety in high school … Freshman defensive end Bradley Chubb's older brother Brandon Chubb is a redshirt junior and startling linebacker at Wake Forest … Freshman B.J. Hill ran for 819 yards on 118 carries as a running back his senior year at West Stanly High in Oakboro, N.C. … Freshman defensive tackle Deshaywn Middleton's older brother Douglas Middle - ton is a starting defensive back at Appalachian State … Freshman defensive end Kentavius Street picked NC State over offers from Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Tennessee, among others. NELSON 82-84.DLs.indd 84 6/27/14 12:00 PM