The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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MARCH 2016 ■ 51 professional teams he played for — he and his wife, a fellow North Carolina native, had to find a place to live. After also considering Austin, Texas, the draw of home won out with both sides of the family living within the state's borders. Raleigh quickly grew on the young couple, and they stayed for eight years. "It's a place we really enjoyed, and we talked about it a lot when we moved from it," Ledford said. "We're glad we get to come back to it." The playing career came to a close in 2006, but the big man — he stands 6-4, played at just less than 300 pounds and looks like he could still stop pass rush- ers in their tracks — had already started down the coaching path by then. He was a football strength and conditioning coach at North Carolina in 2005 and an offensive line intern with the NFL Europe's Frank- furt Galaxy in the spring of 2006. Once his retirement from playing be- came official, he took over as the Galaxy's tight ends and tackles coach in the spring of 2007 and then coached the blockers at Sanderson High School in Raleigh that fall. He returned to ECU, working with the offensive line as a graduate assistant for two Conference USA title-winning years in 2008-09. One-year stops as the offensive line coach at Tennessee State and then Gardner-Webb followed while he worked his way up in his new profession, and then he became the offensive line coach at Appalachian State. After a successful campaign in 2012, he was elevated to co-offensive coordinator for the run game while his team transitioned from the FCS level to big-time col- lege football. Ledford would have been in a great situ- ation in 2016 had he stayed in Boone, but in Raleigh he must replace three senior starters from last year's line with a room full of underclassmen. Surprisingly, that challenge was one of the most appealing factors to the NCSU job for the 39-year- old. "I love that, I really do," he said. "If you look at the breakdown at App State when I went over there, by class, it's about the same — a bunch of young guys, not a lot of seniors. I liked that a lot because those guys, they just want to work hard. "It's just fun to see where they are and watch them continue to grow and develop. We've got some great players, and I'm looking forward to coming and being a part of it." There will be plenty of developing to do in Raleigh under Ledford's watch. Al- though two-year starting guard Tony Ad- ams, a rising junior, returns to anchor the interior of the offensive line and the duo who split right tackle duties last season, Will Richardson and Tyler Jones, will be redshirt sophomores, that's basically the extent of meaningful game experience up front on the Pack roster. The group com- bines for 38 career starts heading into the 2016 season, 22 of which belong to Adams. Having all that clay to mold is ex- actly where the coach's familiarity in the trenches will come in handy. Ledford noted he puts a premium on athleticism and toughness above all other attributes. He knows from first-hand experience that how big a recruit is or how long a player has dominated as a blocker aren't nearly as important — he entered college at 230 pounds and left as a 290-pound road grader, then reached the highest level of football as a front-line protector despite playing offense only in his final year of college. Ledford also has plenty of practice re- cruiting his home state at previous stops to use to his advantage. He estimates he has mined for talent in every nook and cranny within North Carolina's borders, and his primary in-state territory with the Pack will be the western region. "It's an area I know a lot about," he said. "The good thing about it is, with re- cruiting, it's always about the relationship you have with the high schools in that area. That's always important to me. I've al- ready got a great deal of relationships up there in the mountains, in that western part. I look forward to it, it's going to be like a homecoming. "Being at numerous schools in this state, growing up in this state, I'm used to those guys in a lot of the bordering states [too]." The coach's previous ties have already paid off in recruiting, with Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian blocker Kendall Brown following Ledford from Appala- chian State to NCSU and becoming a part of the Pack's 2016 signing class. Now the mentor can't wait to make an impact on the field with NC State's front line. "I'm just excited, real excited," he said. "I'm eager because this excitement, this energy, the players are going to see that, and I want them to embrace that. I want them to take that and carry it on to the prac- tice field, the classroom and into games on Saturday. "I'm very thankful and very blessed for this opportunity." Ledford and his family decided to move to Raleigh once before, when they could have picked anywhere in the country to live; and they couldn't be happier to call it home once again. ■ "I was at a very good place, we had a very successful season, so it was going to take a really good place, a good situation [to leave]. Growing up in this state, I've always admired NC State and its football program." ■ Ledford Ledford spent the last four years at Appala- chian State, mentoring the blockers. He also served as the co-offensive coordinator for the run game the past three seasons. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS