The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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JULY 2015 ■ 99 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2015 KEY WOLFPACKERS NC State's Top 25 Impact Players For 2015 BY MATT CARTER A n annual tradition in The Wolfpacker's football preview magazine is the top 25 list. Each year, the magazine staff votes using criteria of players' abilities, previous perfor- mances, coaches' comments and the team's needs for a successful season. Headlining the list is, unsurprisingly, fifth-year senior quarter- back Jacoby Brissett. The signal-caller typically leads the ranking, and Brissett's successful full season as the starter played a sig- nificant part in the Wolfpack's five-win improvement from 2013 to 2014. Here is the preseason top 25, a list that will be revisited at the 2015 season's conclusion. Rk. Player Year Pos. 1. Jacoby Brissett 5th-Sr. QB Brissett has a chance to become the Pack's first All-ACC quarterback since Russell Wilson netted second-team hon- ors after the 2010 season. 2. Shadrach Thornton Sr. RB Thornton has led the Pack in rushing for three consecu- tive seasons, the first Pack tailback to accomplish that since T.A. McLendon in 2002-04. Only two running backs (Ted Brown and Tremayne Stephens) have led State in rushing yards four times. 3. Jerod Fernandez R-So. LB He led State in tackles during the regular season despite missing one contest before being overtaken for the team lead by Hakim Jones in the bowl game. 4. Matt Dayes Jr. RB According to ESPN's David Hale, Dayes is one of just 16 Power Five conference players in the last 10 years to have 300-plus yards rushing, receiving and on kick returns, and score at least 10 touchdowns. 5. Mike Rose 5th-Sr. DE Rose is the only senior on a young defensive line and led the Pack with 14 tackles for loss last season. 6. Joe Thuney 5th-Sr. OL In the four games Thuney missed with an illness, the Pack averaged 147.5 rushing yards per game, 4.4 yards per carry and 3.0 sacks allowed. In the nine Thuney started at left guard, NCSU averaged 229.9 rushing yards per game, 5.5 yards per carry and 1.9 sacks allowed per game. 7. Tyler Jones R-Fr. OL NC State loses both its starting tackles from last season — including Rob Crisp, who was honorable mention All- ACC at left tackle. Jones has the inside track at protecting Brissett's blind side. 8. Josh Jones R-So. S NC State safeties coach Clayton White said that Jones reminded him of former Pack safety Jason Perry, who was selected in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. 9. Jack Tocho Jr. CB In his first full season as a starter, Tocho broke up a team- high 11 passes and picked off one. Phil Steele has Tocho on his preseason All-ACC fourth team. 10. Hakim Jones 5th-Sr. S Jones overtook Fernandez as the team's leader in tackles with 80 by making eight stops in the bowl win. Rk. Player Year Pos. 11. B.J. Hill So. DT Hill emerged as a surprise starter at nose tackle during his true freshman season and had 40 tackles, including 7.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks. 12. David J. Grinnage R-Jr. TE The sure-handed Grinnage tied for the team lead in touchdown receptions last season with five, with all of them coming in ACC games. 13. Juston Burris 5th-Sr. CB Entering his third season as a starter, Burris needs one more pass broken up for 20 in his career, which would tie him with three former NC State defensive backs for 15th most in school history. 14. Tony Adams So. OL The team's offensive rookie of the year nearly earned a starting job in preseason camp last fall before taking over at right guard for the final nine games of the season. 15. Dravious Wright Jr. Nickel Wright started 12 of the 13 games at the nickel back position in the new base 4-2-5 defense, finishing fourth on the team in tackles with 57. 16. Bra'Lon Cherry Jr. WR Amidst all the question marks at the wide receiver posi- tion, Cherry is the most accomplished returning player after catching 27 passes for 354 yards and three scores while rushing for an additional two touchdowns last year. 17. Kentavius Street So. DT Coming out of Greenville (N.C.) Rose High School, Street was rated as the No. 43 player in the 2014 class by Rivals.com. A move to three-technique defensive tackle in the spring could exploit his explosiveness more prominently. 18. Alex Barr 5th-Sr. OL The experienced Barr has 18 career starts to his credit, but all of them at guard. He will get the first shot at re- placing three-year starter Tyson Chandler at right tackle in the fall. 19. Airius Moore So. LB Moore moved to weakside linebacker in the spring and appears poised to start alongside Fernandez in the 4-2-5 defense. In Moore's four starts last year, he averaged 7.3 tackles per game and had 2.5 hits for loss. 20. Johnathan Alston Jr. WR Alston went from no catches in 2013 to 21 receptions for 224 yards and two scores last year, and the Pack will count on this physically gifted wideout to produce more in 2015. Rk. Player Year Pos. 21. Bradley Chubb So. DE Both defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable and defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen expressed high expectations for Chubb after his move from linebacker to defensive end in the spring. 22. Jaylen Samuels So. FB/TE The playmaker is a threat with his hands (six receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown in 2014) and legs (15 car- ries for 143 yards and one score) and will likely have a much bigger role in 2015. 23. Quinton Schooley Sr. C It has been quite a journey for Schooley, who went from small-town high school linebacker to backup offensive tackle at a junior college to potential three-year starter at center in the ACC. 24. Nyheim Hines Fr. RB Hines can make an immediate impact in numerous roles. He has versatility that rivals what Dayes provides, and Hines will get a long look at returning kicks. 25. Kyle Bambard Fr. K This could also be redshirt freshman Jackson Maples. One of these two will be counted on to replace the de- parted Niklas Sade, who left as NC State's all-time leading scorer. 2015 NC State Top 25 Wolfpack defensive coaches believe former linebacker Bradley Chubb, a sophomore, will be a valuable contributor at defensive end during the 2015 campaign. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN