The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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50 ■ THE WOLFPACKER ■ 2015 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE in to the position after playing cornerback last year and brings nice size at 6-1 and 182 pounds, while walk-on Gavin Locklear, a redshirt sophomore from Apex, impressed coaches before his season ended with an injury last summer. It will be interesting to see how the posi- tion works out under new assistant coach George McDonald, who may provide the fresh start a few players at the position need. ■ Defensive Line There is no shortage of situations to watch along the defensive front. Senior defensive tackles Thomas Teal and T.Y. McGill gradu- ated, along with defensive end Art Norman. Redshirt sophomore end Drew Davis also had his career come to an end due to health reasons, so there is plenty of playing time available for athletes who im- press this spring. Redshirt junior Mike Rose has one defensive end position locked down af- ter he started 11 contests a year ago and led the team with 14 tackles for loss. Rangy redshirt sophomore Pharoah McKever will look for more consis- tency after an up-and-down debut at the position following a redshirt year at wide receiver, while sopho- more Kentavius Street is the highest- ranked recruit on the roster. The 6-2, 287-pounder, who notched 25 tackles in 12 games last year, is trying to live up to the promise that led to Rivals. com ranking him No. 43 overall in the class of 2014. Another blue-chip prospect, four- star Darian Roseboro — who was ranked No. 100 overall by Rivals — enrolled early and will get a head start on making an immediate impact this spring. Redshirt freshmen Deonte Holden and Coult Culler will also try to make their mark off the edge. On the inside, junior Monty Nelson, redshirt sophomore Kenton Gibbs, and sophomores B.J. Hill and Justin Jones all have game experience. Nelson was limited by injuries after he started the first five games of the season, while Hill developed into one of the team's biggest surprises. The unher- alded three-star recruit played in ev- ery game with five starts and finished third among linemen with 50 tackles, including 7.5 for loss. Redshirt freshmen Garrett Brad- bury, who played tight end last year, and Deshaywn Middleton will also be added to the mix in the middle this spring. ■ Weakside Linebacker The Pack returns the two middle line- backers who took almost every snap last year in redshirt sophomore Jerod Fernan- dez and sophomore Airius Moore. Both showed playmaking ability, and it is plau- sible the team keeps both inside, especially if redshirt junior M.J. Salahuddin is com- pletely recovered from the knee injury that forced him to miss last year. The 6-2, 233-pounder started five times on the weakside in 2013 for Dave Doeren and company, before he was shifted in- side and projected to start there prior to the 2014 campaign. Both names from the depth chart last fall at weakside linebacker are gone, so depth will have to emerge from an unproven group. Sophomore Bradley Chubb contributed on special teams and played a handful of snaps as a rookie. Redshirt sophomore Artemis Robinson and redshirt freshman Ty Linton are both bouncing back from injuries, and three new names were added to the mix this spring — early enrollee freshmen James Smith-Williams and Riley Nicholson, along with redshirt sophomore Ford Howell. The walk-on redshirted as a scholarship player at Wake Forest before helping Iowa Western Community College to the Junior College National Champion- ship game last year. ■ Specialists The departure of the Pack's four-year starters on special teams creates a trio of openings in the lineup. Punter A.J. Cole and kicker Kyle Bambard signed in the 2014 class and greyshirted, which means they deferred enrolled until this spring and will be true freshmen next fall. Cole was ranked as the No. 5 kicker in the country by Rivals.com, while Bambard was a finalist for Michigan's Mr. Football in 2013 as an option quarterback and was also listed as the No. 9 kicker in the land by Kohl's Kicking. The highly rated duo should im- mediately contribute, but that doesn't mean there won't be growing pains. Former kicker Niklas Sade, who set school records for scoring, field goals and extra points, made 11 of his 16 field goal attempts as a rookie and did not become proficient on driv- ing kickoffs into the end zone un- til his second year. Meanwhile All- ACC punter Wil Baumann improved his average nearly eight yards from freshman to senior year. At long snapper, walk-ons will handle the duties in the spring until freshman Tyler Griffiths arrives in the summer. Griffiths was a highly thought of prep prospect by long snapping guru Chris Rubio, who listed the Monroe, N.C., native as the top long snapper in the state and No. 7 nationally. However, redshirt freshman R.C. Brunstetter is entering his second spring, rookie Duncan Musselwhite enrolled this spring and coaches have been complimentary of redshirt ju- nior Ben Garnett. The latter received limited game action during the 2013 campaign after Scott Thompson suf- fered a concussion, so the spot will be given to Griffiths. Walk-ons will also push Cole and Bambard. ■ Redshirt junior M.J. Salahuddin, who started five games and made 25 tackles in 2013, has recovered from the knee injury that sidelined him last year and is back in the mix at linebacker. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN