The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/699450
JULY 2016 ■ 87 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2016 BY JACEY ZEMBAL N C State sophomore punter A.J. Cole could be in contention for All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors this season. The conference had some of the best punters in the country last year, but the majority of them have graduated. Cole fin- ished tied for eighth in the ACC with an average of 41.7 yards per punt, but only two of the punters ahead of him return. Virginia senior Nicholas Conte was second with 44.7 yards per punt, and Miami senior Justin Vogel was seventh at 42.5. The College Park, Ga., native pointed out that he should be better this season because he's smarter and more experienced at his craft. He joked that he was "terrible" his first two games in 2015 because he was so nervous. "Being All-ACC is something that I'm capable of," Cole said. "I had a good sea- son last year, but I made a lot of rookie mistakes that I won't make anymore. But I'm not about recognition — I'm about winning football games. "If I do what I'm capable of, the recog- nition should come. I don't see any reason why I can't be first-team All-ACC or first- team All-American by the time I leave." Cole kept getting better as the season went on, which was evidenced by him av- eraging 43.1 yards per punt in eight ACC games. That mark was good for fifth in the league. "I remember that all three All-ACC punt- ers were seniors," Cole said. "The door is wide open for someone to step up. It's exciting." Cole, though, understands that stats are secondary to contributing to Wolfpack victories. "The statistics don't always tell the full story because they could be skewed either way," Cole said. "At the end of the day, the real goal I have is to help win as many games as I can. I want to put my team in the best position I can to win." Cole, an avid golfer, demonstrated a nice touch on the football field, landing 28 of his 66 punts inside the 20-yard line. Cole also had 26 punts fair caught and only six went for touchbacks. Cole's ability to pin opponents deep into their own territory is a terrific asset to the Wolfpack defense. "It's like an Australian style punt where you drop it with the nose down, and you want to loft the punt up and have it float back down," Cole said. "You can control the distance a lot better — it's like a sand wedge." Cole does a good job of focusing on the process when he's punting and parallels it with golf. "When I'm playing, I don't ever want to think about it," Cole said. "I don't want to think, 'This is what I have to do.' When I'm practicing, I just look to see what number I am on the field. When I go into a game, I'll just have a number in my head that, 'Oh, I'm at the 44-yard line, and I don't think about punting.' The same thing is true in golf." Cole can also impact a game by negat- ing dangerous return guys. He averaged 43.5 yards on four punts and landed three inside the 20-yard line in last year's game against North Carolina. Just as importantly, UNC star returner Ryan Switzer didn't get the chance to return one punt. "My personal goal that game was for him to have zero return yards," Cole said. "I did not want him to have any chance, and that was something we did." Cole knew about Switzer and prepared well for the game, but once the contest started, he viewed the punt returner as a "faceless opponent." He also never put himself in position to use his tackling skills last year. "If I hit my best punt, it doesn't matter who is back there," Cole said. "If I never make a tackle here, then I'll probably be a good punter." Cole isn't practicing punting two hours a day, four days a week before games. In- stead, he'll spend the first 10 minutes just working on catching the snap and get in position to punt. Then the goal is to get as much work done as possible without tear- ing up his leg. "You don't just go out and punt a million balls a day because you'll be fatigued by the end of the season or pull something," said Cole, who punts two or three times a week in the offseason. "It is about being as efficient as possible in my work." Cole has an impressive ability to con- centrate on the task at hand, whether it involves punting, studying for his industrial engineering degree or trying to beat his younger sister Susannah in golf. That is no small feat — she was the state high school champ as a junior this past spring. Cole's missionary work has become a driving force in his life ever since meeting Joey Potter and getting involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He makes yearly trips to Nakuru, Kenya, as part of The Kenya Project. "When we are in Kenya, we try and spread the gospel," said Cole, who said it takes about 16 hours in an airplane and four hours in a automobile to reach his destination. "It really is about providing encouragement to people." Some of his teammates joined Cole on the trip to Kenya over spring break last March. "Kenya has really been my big focus and [cornerback] Nicholas Lacy and [running back] Brady Bodine came with me last year," Cole said. "We are trying to get a lot of guys to come next spring break. It's a good trip and gives you perspective." Cole hopes to use his eventual indus- trial engineering degree to land a great job and financially give back to causes he is passionate about. He also knows that playing for the Wolfpack gives him a stage that not every col- lege student has. "I think the big thing about being able to play football is that it gives me a platform that I wouldn't otherwise have to reach out to people," Cole said. Cole spends time with the children at Mountain Park Academy outside of Nakuru during his yearly trips to Kenya. A medical team also comes each October to check on the students and teachers. "Being committed to them and coming back and constantly praying for them, it means a lot to them," Cole said. "A lot of people treat mission work like it is a bucket list item and check it off [and don't return]. GIVING BACK Sophomore Punter A.J. Cole Has Big Goals On And Off The Field Last year, Cole improved as the season went on and averaged 43.1 yards per punt in NC State's eight ACC contests. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN "If I do what I'm capable of, the recognition should come. I don't see any reason why I can't be first-team All-ACC or first-team All-American by the time I leave." ■ Cole