The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/535299
JULY 2015 ■ 115 Five Best Players 1. David Amerson: Former NCSU linebacker coach Jon Tenuta, a longtime veteran defensive assistant and previously a coordinator for both Ohio State and Notre Dame, once told then-head coach Tom O'Brien that Amerson was as good as any defensive back he had ever seen. Amerson's coverage skills were evidenced by his 18 interceptions in just three seasons at NCSU, including an ACC single-season-record 13 during his sophomore season. Amerson became the 33rd football player in school history to be named a first- or second-team All-American. 2. Dontae Johnson: Johnson was never an All-ACC player and did not make a splash in the record books during his career at NCSU. However, he was a reliable starter at both safety and corner, and he joined Amerson as the only players in the 2010 class to be selected in the NFL Draft. Johnson was good enough to unseat incumbent starter and future NFL player C.J. Wilson at corner during the 2012 season. 3. Art Norman: Norman was the last member of the 2010 class to sign on and arguably its least heralded, but he developed into one of the most prolific pass rushers in school history. He led the team in sacks in three of his four seasons and tied for squad best the other year. 4. Tobais Palmer: Palmer played only two years at NCSU, but they were impactful. His senior season featured the second most all-purpose yards in a year (1,971) and the most single-season kickoff return yardage (1,130) in school history. His 91 receptions for 1,277 yards in two years were on pace to finish top five in both categories at NC State over a four-year span. 5. Thomas Teal: A broken foot during his redshirt freshman season was the only thing that seemed to slow Teal down. He started 32 games over the next three years and posted 28.5 tackles for loss during that span, includ - ing 9.5 sacks. He was named the team's Defensive MVP as a fifth-year senior. liams (1978-82) and Art Rooney (1936-38). Amerson impressively returned three picks for touchdowns, and his 287 return yards are also the most ever recorded at NCSU (there were no return stats kept on Rooney's 16 picks). Amerson had 13 interceptions in 2011, an ACC re - cord for the most in one season. Palmer's monster effort of 219 receiving yards and 277 yards in kick returns during a loss at Clemson in 2012 combined to set an ACC standard in all-purpose yards with 496. Palmer finished the 2012 season with 1,971 all-purpose yards, just eight shy of the school record set in 1998 by All-American receiver Torry Holt. Palmer also broke former receiver T.J. Graham's 2008 school record with 1,130 kickoff return yards in 2012. Receiver Bryan Underwood also found his way into the record books with touchdown receptions in eight straight games to start the 2012 season, a school-best and one off the ACC record held by former Virginia wideout Herman Moore. Underwood became just the sixth receiver at NCSU to reach double-digit touch - down receptions in a year with his 10 scoring hauls. Defensive end Art Norman made a run at the school sack record but came up two short of matching Mario Williams' 25.5 quarterback takedowns. THE 2013 ANOMALY The black mark on the 2010 class will be the stain of the 2013 season, during which NCSU went just 3-9 overall and failed to win a league game in eight tries. The Pack had its first winless ACC season since 1959. THE WHAT-COULD-HAVE-BEENS NC State did miss a chance to see some talented players in their primes. Amerson left a year early to enter the NFL Draft, where he was a second-round draft pick for the Washington Redskins. Gifted running back Mustafa Greene led NCSU in rushing as a true freshman, but was unable to stay on track off the field with injuries and academics after that 2010 season. After a promising debut playing beside future NFL linebackers Terrell Manning and Audie Cole in 2011, D.J. Green was suspended for the 2012 campaign and lost a year of eligibility. Between that and playing exclusively special teams while practicing as a reserve safety during his true freshman season in 2010, NCSU got only two years of Green at linebacker. Defensive end Theo Rich had a chance to join Thomas Teal and Art Norman as unheralded gems on the defensive line, but he was dismissed from the team before resurrecting his career at South Alabama, where he had eight sacks as a senior and earned a tryout with the Dallas Cowboys. Fullback Logan Winkles was likewise good enough to earn an NFL tryout (Kansas City Chiefs) after being dismissed from NCSU. The Pack thought it had its quarterback of the future in Tyler Brosius, swiping his commitment away from Virginia, but he left after two years in Raleigh to pursue professional baseball. HITTING THE MARK The 2010 class had 15 players start at least one game out of the 18 that ended up on campus. To put that into some perspective, of the classes in a 10-year span from 2001-10, only the 2002 collection had a higher percentage of starters among those that enrolled, and barely, with 16 of their 19 earning a starting nod once in their careers. Dontae Johnson developed into a reliable starter at both safety and cornerback, and was one of only two players in the 2010 class to be selected in the NFL Draft. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN