The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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JANUARY 2015 ■ 35 No. 1 singles tennis player at Indepen- dence. "People shied away because he was not the ideal height for a lineman," Faulkner said. "Obviously, I think we made the right call on that. "How many true freshmen start on the offensive line in the ACC? That in itself, you can't say much more than that." TE Cole Cook Redshirt sophomore tight end David J. Grinnage enjoyed a big regular season, catching 25 passes for 331 yards and ty- ing for the team lead with five touchdown receptions. One of those scores came in the 35-7 win over UNC. Yet Grinnage was not the tight end most often seen on the field that day. That was true freshman Cole Cook, despite the fact that Cook has not caught a pass all season. Cook played 40 snaps against UNC, compared to Grinnage's 31. That was af- ter Cook played a previous career-best 30 plays in the 42-13 win over Wake Forest Nov. 15. It is probably not a coincidence that NCSU averaged 375.0 rushing yards in those two games. Cook was a touted three-star tight end at Carrollton (Ga.) High who spurned chances to play at Mississippi State and Florida State to come to Raleigh. Carrollton runs a variation of the wing-T triple-option of- fense. Thus, he has been well-schooled in blocking. "That's really how I think I got myself on the field," Cook said. "All I did for four years of high school was block. I didn't catch a whole lot of balls, so I really got a good chance to fine-tune my blocking and get ahead of that area. I really have tried to work hard on every aspect of my game, but blocking was definitely a strength that I had." Cook wants to fine-tune his route-run- ning skills in anticipation of the moment when he might actually catch a pass. "I don't know when that day comes, but I am just happy to get out there when I'm out there," he said. Faulkner is confident that Cook will de- velop into that all-around tight end. "He's going to be a really good football player," Faulkner noted. "He's smart, he cares, he's only going to get bigger and stronger. He's committed to everything you ask him to be. "That kid is going to be a great player, there is no doubt about it." WR Bo Hines When Faulkner first watched true fresh- man wide receiver Bo Hines' junior-year highlights at Charlotte Christian High, he felt he was viewing a no-brainer. "The kid makes plays, could play differ- ent positions," Faulkner recalled. Once he got to know Hines, Faulkner knew he was someone he wanted to bring to the Wolfpack. NC State and Nebraska would duel it out for Hines, and the wide- out chose to be the first member of the 2014 recruiting class for the Pack. Like Adams, Hines enrolled early at NC State and immediately made his presence felt. He was the standout at the Kay Yow Spring Game in April, catching 10 passes for 132 yards in the scrimmage. He carried that success over in the fall, starting seven games and leading the Pack with 42 receptions for 537 yards. That in- cluded a 54-yard catch-and-run touchdown against then-No. 1 Florida State, his lone score of the season. The play involved Hines running a vertical and luring the FSU defensive back in a different direction. "I saw him biting on the out route, and I was like, 'If he bit that hard then there is probably no one around me,'" Hines said. "It was definitely a good feeling." Hines caught eight passes for 103 yards that afternoon for the Pack's lone 100-yard receiving effort of the season. "I was just trying to help my team win the game, and if that involved me mak- ing more plays then so be it," Hines said. "We have a lot of talented receivers in our receiving group, so whenever the ball is thrown anywhere we have confidence any- one can make plays." "What made Bo special was the way in which he goes about his business," Faulkner added. "He's a serious kid, it's important to him. Whether he's an All- ACC player or not, which he is on course to be that kind of guy, you know he's going to bring something to your team from a leadership standpoint and work ethic stand- point. He's been great." FB Jaylen Samuels NC State true freshman fullback Jaylen Samuels posted incredible numbers as a senior at Mallard Creek High in Charlotte: 108 rushes for 1,406 yards and 39 touch- downs, plus 49 receptions for 932 yards and 16 scores. That's an average of 14.9 yards per touch. Many wondered if the 5-11, 240-pounder could translate that game into the ACC when he enrolled at NCSU — but not Faulkner, who still does not understand why Samuels was not more highly rated and recruited. "All you had to do was watch his film from a year ago," Faulkner said. "The biggest question with Jaylen, I think, was coming out of high school what position was he going to play. Well, he can play any of them. That's what made it special for us as coaches, to find ways to get him involved." Samuels has proven Faulkner and NCSU right. He carried 14 times for 143 yards (10.2 yards per carry) and a touchdown, and caught three passes for 55 yards (18.3 yards per catch). For the regular season, Samuels averaged 11.6 yards per touch. Being used similarly to how Mallard Creek played him has allowed Samuels to develop a quick comfort level in a Wolf- pack uniform. "They said they were going to do the same things that they did when I was in high school," Samuels noted. "That's a big reason why I came here. I just knew that nothing would really change my game. I would just keep doing what I'm doing, and I can only get better." The Pack coaches would like to see Samuels improve in some areas, notably blocking, but they have little doubt that his impact will only continue to grow over the course of the next few years. "Obviously, we are glad he is on our team," Faulkner said. "He is super versa- tile. He can do anything you ask him to do on the football field. There are some things he can improve on, but he can do it." ■ Wide receiver Bo Hines' team-high 42 recep- tions have produced 537 yards and included one touchdown grab, a 54-yard catch-and-run score versus defending national champion Florida State. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN