The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/368728
56 ■ THE WOLFPACKER WOLFPACK FOOTBALL "I like it whether it is 4‑2, 4‑3 or 5‑2. Just put the ball down and lets play foot‑ ball," Fernandez said. "It's important to be a starter, but I just have to play my role. Somebody went down, and now I have to step up and play football." Fernandez relishes being near the line of scrimmage where the action occurs. "You are in everything and every play," Fernandez said. "You are hitting somebody every play. It's not like a DB [defensive back] where you cover every play. You are in the action all the time." Fernandez also knows that reading keys, being instinctual and being a student of the game are also part of playing middle linebacker. "That is very important because if you read the wrong keys, then you'll go the wrong way," Fernandez said. "In high school, I just ran over people. In college, you have to use your hands." Fernandez has had his weight fluctuate over the last two years. He started off at 215 pounds his senior year in high school and then made his way up to 240. Now, he's at a comfortable playing weight — 224 pounds — and feels stronger and faster than when he arrived in Raleigh. "I had to lose fat and get my body weight percentage down," said Fernandez, who still talks with last year's starting middle line‑ backer, Robert Caldwell. "I eat chicken breasts and broccoli all the time. I cut out fast food. It was a big eye opener." Fernandez also benefits from having a coaching mentor in defensive coordina‑ tor and linebackers coach Dave Huxtable. NC State head coach Dave Doeren also was a linebackers coach in the past, and also will jump in and pass along his knowledge from time to time. The fact that Huxtable recruited Fernandez out of Lake Mary (Fla.) High adds to the player‑coach bond. "I love Coach Hux," Fernandez said. "He's a great coach and knows his stuff. He is to the point and tells you exactly what you need to do. Coach Hux was recruiting me for Pitt, and when he came here I came here with him. "Coach D always puts in his input and is always watching us and what we are doing wrong." — Jacey Zembal Young Safeties Expected To Contribute NC State head coach Dave Doeren doesn't want his safeties too involved with racking up big numbers, only be‑ cause it means the front seven had some breakdowns. "I look at the safety position as more of the guy that shouldn't be setting the tone," Doeren said. "It's called a safety because he's the safety valve of your defense. If he's the one making all the plays, then you probably aren't playing very well. "When the safeties screw up, some‑ body's band is playing. You have to make sure they do their job." A prime candidate to make an impact at safety is 6‑2, 212‑pound redshirt freshman Josh Jones from Walled Lake, Mich. A three‑star prospect and the nation's No. 29 safety as a high school senior according to Rivals.com, Jones enjoys hitting, and even played some outside linebacker on the scout team last year just to get closer to the line of scrimmage. "When you are playing safety on the scout team, it's pretty boring," Doeren said. "You are just back there all day because you aren't allowed to hit the receivers. We put him up there and it taught him a lot on how to play with his hands and run keys." Doeren said Jones had the physical traits, but needed to catch up on the nuances of the game last year. He'll be thrown into the fire this season, along with freshman safety Germaine Pratt. "We had a long talk last year about play‑ ing Josh on a couple of special teams and maybe on defense," Doeren said. "I felt like developing and maturing was better for him. He is doing pretty decent right now and is in the first group. "He pushes himself and he's hard on himself, but he still has a lot of progress to be made," The 6‑3, 230‑pound Pratt was a Rivals. com four‑star prospect out of High Point (N.C.) Central High. "Pratt will play and right now. He's ro‑ tating in the secondary at free safety, and he's starting on two or three special teams," Doeren said. A key to the three safeties in the 4‑2‑5 alignment is having two that can make plays in space, Doeren explained. "Our field safety and nickel position, have to play a lot of man‑to‑man," he said. "Even when you are in zone, you end up in man at times. The boundary safety can be a bigger guy because of the space he deals with. You have to have that hybrid guy, who when you watch film, it is can he cover? Can he tackle? Is he aggressive? How is he in space?" — Jacey Zembal Redshirt freshman strong safety Josh Jones is expected to bring a physical brand of football to the secondary in NCSU's 4‑2‑5 defensive alignment. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN