The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/503388
36 ■ THE WOLFPACKER shirt freshmen Garrett Bradbury, a con- verted tight end, and former linebacker Coult Culler moved to defensive tackle, while redshirt junior Josh Sessoms is now a wideout after playing nickel back. The Back Seven Is The Strength The Pack returns all five starters in the secondary from last year, and the play- ers were mostly healthy this spring. Red- shirt sophomore Josh Jones is the only underclassman among the starters and he missed the spring game, but Doeren said the strong safety enjoyed one of the team's best springs before a minor injury during the team's final practice kept him out of the public scrimmage. Fifth-year senior Juston Burris and ju- nior Jack Tocho should form one of the ACC's top cornerback tandems. Free safety Hakim Jones should be at his best during his fifth campaign — he paced the team in tackles in 2014 (80 stops) and is tied for the team lead with 38 games played, while his 25 starts trail only Burris' 30. Meanwhile, junior nickel back Dravious Wright im- proved rapidly last season and notched six tackles in the spring game, which tied to lead the first-team unit. The linebacker shift allows redshirt sophomore Jerod Fernandez and Moore to get on the field at the same time; and they both flashed playmaking ability last year. Each also had to make defensive calls as rookies, so there should be plenty of vocal leadership on the field. ■ Three Remaining Questions 1. Who steps up out wide? The wide receiver position has gone through the most turnover fol- lowing the transfers of leading receiver Bo Hines and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who logged more snaps than any other player at the position last year. The group, working under new coach George McDonald, was not very healthy this spring, but it might not even be a receiver who leads the team in receiving. Junior Matt Dayes leads all returners with 32 receptions, while fellow running back Nyheim Hines — who will arrive in the summer — redshirt junior tight end David J. Grinnage and sophomore tight end/fullback Jaylen Samuels will all factor heav - ily into the passing game. 2. How does the offensive front line up? NCSU returns a quartet of players who each started at least eight games last fall on the offensive line. Fifth-year senior Joe Thuney returns at left guard, but the coaches must decide if the offense is best with the versatile blocker on the inside or outside. Senior center Quinton Schooley and sophomore right guard Tony Adams are also good bets to man the same positions as last season. Most of the spring, fifth-year senior Alex Barr lined up at right tackle, while redshirt freshman Tyler Jones moved from second-string left tackle, where he played all of last year despite not appearing on the depth chart, to the starting unit. The arrival of junior college transfer Daris Work - man and four-star Emanuel McGirt should add competition to the search for new offensive tackles. 3. Which freshmen emerge? Some of the early enrollees proved right away they should be in line for immediate playing time. Defensive end Darian Roseboro, running back Reggie Gallaspy II and punter A.J. Cole III were among the spring game standouts. Nickel back Freddie Phillips was one of the second-team stars, and head coach Dave Doeren has said he and linebacker Riley Nicholson could contribute on special teams from day one. More talented rookies are on their way, and there are always a couple surprise freshmen that see the field early. — Ryan Tice Sophomore linebacker Airius Moore, who as a true freshman saw action in every game last sea- son, is part of the strong back seven of the Wolfpack defense. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN True freshman Reggie Gallaspy II, an early enrollee, showed he could be ready to compete right away for playing time at running back. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN