The Wolfpacker

September 2014

The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports

Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/368728

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 37 of 95

38 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER I f NC State is going to have marked improvement in its won-loss record this fall, the team will need some play- ers to step up in their new roles as prime contributors and emerge as breakout performers. It happens every year for each team in the country, but given the youthful nature of NC State's roster — where about two- thirds of the scholarship players are fresh- men or sophomores — the Pack is more primed than a lot of programs to see its share of breakout performers. Here are five players The Wolfpacker predicts will fit that mold in 2014. QB Jacoby Brissett Brissett, a redshirt junior, is the easiest candidate to identify given his role. He was named the undisputed starter going into spring practice by head coach Dave Doeren, and he turned heads when he com- pleted 24 of 37 passes for 365 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the Kay Yow Spring Game in April. Expectations are high for Brissett. He was a touted recruit coming out of Dwyer High in West Palm Beach, Fla., selected as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com and chosen to play in the 2011 U.S. Army All- American Bowl. He used his five official visits on national powers LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Washington and Wisconsin, but chose to sign with Florida. He started twice as a true freshman for the Gators and three times overall in Gainesville. He completed 41 of 74 passes (55.4 percent) for 455 yards with three scores and four interceptions, but by the end of the 2012 season it was clear that classmate Jeff Driskell was entrenched as the signal-caller of the future. Brissett chose to transfer and visited NCSU and West Virginia before picking the Wolfpack. He arrived in Raleigh with much fanfare given his prep credentials, and this fall he will have his first full chance to back them up. LB Jerod Fernandez The chance to break out typically coin- cides with the combination of ability and opportunity. Both could be working in Fer- nandez's favor this fall. Fernandez, a redshirt freshman, was the co-recipient of the Wolfpack's Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year award last fall. Then in the spring game, he excited observers by making 11 tackles, including nine solo stops and a sack. He had three more solo hits and total tackles than any other defender in the scrimmage. That put Fernandez in position to compete for a starting linebacker job in the middle of the defense with junior M.J. Salahuddin. Unfortunately for NCSU, Salahuddin suf- fered a knee injury in the preseason that has him sidelined indefinitely. Now Fernandez is in line for a poten- tial starting role. It is not a given that Fer- nandez will start because NCSU has other options. Doeren in particular has praised senior linebacker Rodman Noel and noted he could play inside if needed, and senior Brandon Pittman is also firmly in the mix with the linebacker rotation. Still, if Fernandez can consistently per- form the way he did in the spring game, he will be tough to keep off the field. WR Bo Hines NC State fans were introduced early and often to Hines during the spring game in April. By the time the scrimmage was over, Hines had pulled in 10 receptions for 132 yards, including a 60-yard catch and run that was one of the big plays for the offense. Hines is a physically gifted true fresh- man. He checks in at 6-1, 190 pounds and has been timed as fast as 4.41 seconds in the 40-yard dash at a combine. He also won the state independent schools' 3-A state ti- tle for Charlotte Christian in the 200 meters as a junior with a sprint of 22.07 seconds. What cannot be so easily measured is Hines' football IQ, which appears to be ex- Quarterback Jacoby Brissett completed 24 of 37 passes for 365 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the Kay Yow Spring Game in April. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN Watch List These Five Players Could Become Household Names For Wolfpack Fans This Fall

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Wolfpacker - September 2014