The Wolfpacker

32 ■ THE WOLFPACKER up gaudy numbers, but Hill has 3.5 sacks among his 11 tackles for loss and should step to the forefront next year, being the most experienced lineman on the team. He has started 17 games and totaled 18.5 tackles for loss already, playing beyond his years and recruiting ranking — something he says was due to enrolling early in 2014. "I'm trying to play like an older guy be- cause of all my experience," Hill explained. Bright Future Hill isn't the only sophomore making an impact on the NCSU roster, nor is he the lone second-year standout along the defensive line. It's an impressive group that also fea- tures Chubb, Jones and Street. Jones has chipped in 29 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble, while Street boasts 31 stops, three tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, two passes broken up, a forced fum- ble and one fumble recovery. Although Street hasn't played a skill po- sition like some of his linemates, he is still one of the most impressive athletes on the team, boasting a 450-pound bench press, a 635-pound squat and a 39-inch vertical jump. In addition to the sophomore contin- gent, the Pack has been aided by a few true freshmen up front. "It shows we have depth," Rose said. "It shows we have a great coach. Ryan Nielsen gets these young guys ready to play. They come on campus young and small, and he gets them of size, of weight and ready to play early." Roseboro has improved daily according to teammates and coaches, and it's evident in games. After batting down two passes against Wake Forest — one that he was mad at him- self for not picking off — he snared an inter- ception against Syracuse and couldn't have been asked to do anything more with it; he ran the ball back 20 yards for a touchdown. Although not as heralded, rookie tackle Eurndraus Bryant has made observers take notice, and not just because of his 6-1, 350-pound frame. He has appeared in every game while filling out the rotation along the interior. There are others, too. Fans didn't know much about Rose until his redshirt junior campaign, when he finally received his chance and totaled 15 tackles for loss. Current backups or redshirting rookies could be the next to break out. "I'm excited about our future," Nielsen noted. He should be. NCSU has arguably re- cruited along the defensive line better than any other position under the current staff — Bryant was one of only two two-star recruits in the group and has already out- preformed that rating. More heralded prospects are sure to fol- low — three-star defensive tackle commit Ben Frazier is ranked 27th nationally at his position by Rivals.com — and Nielsen will continue improving the tools he is given with his "iron sharpens iron" philosophy. "What you're seeing is competition at every level — in the weight room, on the practice field, during the games, the get-off competition," the coach explained. "Whatever it is, we compete — from when we wake up in the morning until we go to bed. "Competition pushes them to be bet- ter. We've got a bunch of guys who have started and played a lot here, and they're all pushing for playing time." The result of that battle for minutes up front could be a stout defense with more hardware than just a championship belt be- ing passed among its linemen. ■ Sophomore defensive end Bradley Chubb ranked second on the team in tackles through 12 games with 62, including 5.5 sacks among 11.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN

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