The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/535299
76 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2015 For high-level college football programs, it is relatively rare for a true freshman to play on the offensive line, and it usually means some recruiting misses happened in the past. NC State right guard Tony Adams proved to be the exception to the rule last year and excelled due to his college-ready body, maturity and intelligence. Adams started nine of the 12 games he played in, and estab - lished he would be a building block for the future. NC State has three freshmen tackles in the class of 2015, and Durham (N.C.) Hillside left tackle Emanuel McGirt Jr. will get a chance to crack the two-deep dur- ing fall camp in August. The 6-6, 295-pounder has gained 65 pounds over the last two years to help get in posi- tion to possibly shed his redshirt this season. "I'm going to come out and work hard and give everything I've got," McGirt said. "I'm going to put out all the effort." McGirt was an impressive player on the field for Hill- side, and he had an exciting recruitment off the gridiron. Rivals.com ranked him as a four-star recruit, the No. 7 prospect in North Carolina, the No. 14 offensive tackle nationally and the No. 196 overall player in the country. NC State was the first college to offer McGirt during the fall of 2013. Little did he know that he'd go through an explosion of offers over the next year. At least 16 colleges offered McGirt, but the Wolfpack hung tough thanks to a strong personal connection McGirt formed with head coach Dave Doeren, running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Des Kitchings and offensive line coach Mike Uremovich. That connection was certainly put to the test. Most of McGirt's immediate family attended North Carolina, and he verbally committed to the Tar Heels June 17, 2014. The commitment didn't last long and he unofficially visited Georgia a few weeks later, and eventually decommitted from UNC Aug. 2. NC State got another chance and made the most of it. McGirt made his second and final commitment to NC State Nov. 19 over Georgia, UNC and a host of SEC programs. With the hoopla of recruiting out of the way, McGirt is poised to make the most of his college career. "It's a good feeling that I signed and it's finally over," McGirt said. "I'm thankful that some of the other things happened. I'm thankful that I committed to another place and decommitted. I finally made the right choice." McGirt trusts that the NC State coaching staff will bring out his full potential over the next four or five years. "It really was about the relationship with the coaches and the players," McGirt said. "The school and academics, and the opportunity is right here for me. Coach Kitchings was great. He was more like a brother than a coach. We'd talk about anything, like movies or girls. "Coach Doeren was the same way. Some coaches tried to force it on me. He just kept it gradual and said whatever you do, I'm fine with it and I will support you." McGirt knows his family will be adding some more red to the household now. "My family was going to support me either way, no matter where I go," McGirt said. "Of course they tease me about going there. Once they went over to NC State and got to meet everybody and see how good a program it was, they felt better." — Jacey Zembal McGirt was ranked as a four-star prospect, the No. 14 offensive tackle nationally and the No. 196 overall player in the class of 2015 by Rivals.com. PHOTO BY RYAN TICE Quick Facts Position Coach: Mike Uremovich (3rd season) Returning Starters: C Quinton Schooley (25 career starts), LG Joe Thuney (21), RT Alex Barr (18) and RG Tony Adams (9) Starters Lost: RT Tyson Chandler (36) and LT Rob Crisp (26) FYI: Athlon ranked NC State's offensive line No. 5 in the ACC … Athlon and Lindy's both predicted fifth-year senior left guard Joe Thuney would be second- team All-ACC … NC State's class of 2014 featured five offensive line signees, with current sophomore right guard Tony Adams playing right away and the other four redshirted (tackle Eric Shute was forced to quit football due to injury) … Four of - fensive linemen have made their way to NC State in the class of 2015 … San Pablo (Calif.) Contra Costa Community College tackle Daris Workman played basketball his first year of junior college, and averaged 7.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game … Durham (N.C.) Hillside left tackle Emanuel McGirt Jr. also envisioned a future in basketball, but morphed into a four-star football prospect … Rivals.com ranked McGirt as the No. 196 overall player nationally, the No. 14 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 7 prospect in the state of North Carolina … Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic tackle Aaron Wiltz, a Rivals.com two-star prospect, played guard until his senior year, and then switched to tackle … Charlotte Christian tackle Philip Walton was NC State's second commit in the class of 2015, picking the Wolfpack over an offer from Marshall … Walton is the fourth football player from Charlotte Christian to enroll at NCSU under head coach Dave Doeren. ■ By The Numbers 3 Starting combinations that NC State went through last year. One group of five players started together for five games, and then two other combinations of five linemen started four contests apiece. 5.2 Yards per carry last year for NC State's rushing attack. The Wolfpack tallied 2,659 yards and 26 touchdowns on 508 carries. 29 Sacks allowed by NC State on 381 passing attempts, down from 36 sacks on 426 passes in 2013. The Wolfpack allowed a sack once every 13.1 passes last year. ■ Preseason Analysis **** Among country's best; *** Among ACC's best; ** Solid or has potential; * Too unproven Starters *** NC State could be one of the ACC's upper-tier offensive lines if the tackles mesh well with the three returning starters on the interior, and the group stays healthy. Redshirt freshman left tackle Tyler Jones is tasked with protecting the blind side of fifth-year senior quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Alex Barr, a mammoth fifth-year senior right tackle, has plenty of experience after starting eight of 10 healthy games last year at guard. Senior center Quinton Schooley, sophomore right guard Tony Adams and fifth-year senior left guard Joe Thuney are proven commodities inside. Thuney has past experience at left tackle and Adams could also play center. Experience *** With two fifth-year seniors in Thuney and Barr, and a fourth-year senior in Schooley, the Wolfpack has plenty of experience. Collectively, the trio has played in 83 games and started 64 of them. Adams is still a young player with nine starts in 12 appearances, and he has experi - enced two spring practices. Jones is the lone player in the group who has yet to see game action. The backups are also relative newcomers to ACC football. Depth * NC State has a lot of unknowns with the second-string players, and beyond. The Wolfpack lost four reserves prematurely and one class of 2015 signee (T.J. McCoy) over the last year. Several of the reserves will be playing college football for the first time. Junior college transfer Daris Workman, freshman Emanuel McGirt Jr. and redshirt freshman Will Richardson will get long looks at the tackle spots. Redshirt freshman Terronne Prescod and redshirt junior Bryce Kennedy will provide depth at guard, and redshirt junior John Tu'uta could play either center or guard. Overall grade *** The Wolfpack finished the year strong blocking in the run game and achieved last year's No. 1 goal of keeping Jacoby Brissett healthy at quarterback. Those two goals remain the same this fall, and NC State hopes to snap a 12-year drought for 1,000-yard rushers, though that could be hard with so many talented running backs vying for carries. The guards will be crucial in helping out the new starters at tackle. Getting To Know: Emanuel McGirt Jr.