The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/699450
112 ■ THE WOLFPACKER EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS The 2011 football recruiting class was not perfect. The Pack misfired on a quarterback recruit (Brian Taylor) that proved far better as a baseball player. Wide receiver Hakeem Flowers and linebacker Rodman Noel were supposed to be the gems of the class, but Flowers was a bust and Noel did not find his stride until his senior season. However, any fair analysis would agree that this class was not the worst signed by an ACC team in 2011, nor was it a fringe top-75 class nationally as the consensus rankings, at best, would have suggested. The class had two All-Americans (counting long snapper Scott Thompson) and two all-conference players. Additionally, corner Juston Burris joined All-American offensive lineman Joe Thuney as NFL Draft picks. Four more players signed as undrafted free agents, including defensive tackle T.Y. McGill who recorded three sacks during his rookie season with the Indianapolis Colts. By comparison, the 2010 NC State recruiting class that was ranked No. 34 nationally by Rivals.com had just one player (corner David Amerson) who was an All-American and earned anything higher than honorable mention All-ACC. It had two draft picks and three free agent signings. The low rankings for the 2011 class were understandable at the time. Seven of the 20 players did not have another major conference offer. Two of the 13 that did were a pair of kickers: Niklas Sade and Wil Baumann, and they each had one a piece. Four more only had one other major conference offer. This was a class where the evaluations by the then-coaching staff in Raleigh were well done. SPECIAL TEAMS OVERHAUL SUCCESS Then-special teams coordinator Jerry Petercuskie, who recently retired from coaching, had coached special teams at Boston College for 10 years and was in his fifth year at the role at NCSU when he welcomed the trio of punter Wil Baumann, kicker Niklas Sade and long snapper Scott Thompson. Never before had Petercuskie relied on only true freshmen handling the specialist roles. He joked prior to their arrival that they were taking over those duties at NC State without even knowing where all the bathrooms in the Murphy Center were located. The three held up to the challenge. Sade and Baumann reset the record books. Baumann ended his career as NC State's all-time leader in punts (266) and punting yards (10,868 yards), and was first-team All-ACC as a senior after averaging 45.4 yards per boot — second best ever for a single season at NCSU. Sade set new standards for career points scored (332), field goals made (55), field goals attempted (79) and extra points (167). As a senior, Thompson was named a first-team All-American by Phil Steele. LOW ATTRITION It is rare to sign a class on the first Wednesday in February and have all of them on campus at the start of preseason camp. That happened with this 2011 class. Of the 20 that signed, 14 exhausted their eligibility at NCSU. One of the six who did not was Carlos Gray, who left early for the NFL, a curious decision he later explained as an attempt to make one of the last roster spots for the Green Bay Packers. "We kept getting coaching changes," Gray told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "If I had stayed two more years I believe things would have been different. [Injuries] was what I was thinking." Of the remaining five, one was Taylor, the lone quarterback signed. He played baseball for a year at NCSU after giving up football, and he then transferred to Campbell for more playing time on the diamond. Nevertheless, having that many players stick around through a coaching change in the middle of their careers is a testament to head coach Dave Doeren and his staff. THE 2013 ANOMALY For any class that was around at the time, the 2013 season is a black mark on their record. The 2011 signees were either juniors or redshirt sophomores that year, thus had a major part on a squad that went just 3-9 overall and failed to win a league game in eight tries, the first Wolfpack winless ACC season since 1959. TURNING IT AROUND The stain of the 2013 season, though, was somewhat washed away by the rebound for two straight bowl trips, including a win over defending Fiesta Bowl champ Central Florida in the 2014 Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl. Considering how the 2012 recruiting class that followed the 2011 group turned into a lost class (16 of the 22 signed have been lost to attrition), the success of the past two seasons rested largely upon the shoulders of the veterans from the 2011 class. Although they did not register many marquee wins over the past two years, they also handled their business in the games they were supposed to do well, avoiding puzzling losses and ending streaks of futility at Wake Forest and at Boston College. 2011 Recruiting Class Players Signed In Class: 20 Players Enrolled in 2011: 20 Played As A True Freshman: 7 (P Wil Bau- mann, DT T.Y. McGill, LB Rodman Noel, LB Michael Peek, LB Brandon Pittman, K Niklas Sade and LS Scott Thompson) Players With At Least One Start In Their Careers: 13 (Thompson, as long snapper, technically did not register a start but was Pack's long snapper for 51 straight games) Class Rankings Rivals.com — No. 86 in the nation, No. 14 in the ACC Scout.com — No. 75 in the nation, No. 14 in the ACC Honors Wil Baumann — 2014: first-team All-ACC (writers) Mike Rose — 2015: second-team All-ACC (writers and coaches) Scott Thompson — 2014: first-team All-America selection by Phil Steele Joe Thuney — 2015: first-team All-America selec- tion by USA Today; honorable mention All-America pick by Pro Football Focus; first-team All-ACC by writers, second-team by coaches NFL Draft Benson Browne — L.A. Rams, free agent, 2016 Juston Burris — New York Jets, fourth round, No. 118 pick overall, 2016 Carlos Gray — Green Bay Packers, free agent, 2014 Rodman Noel — Cleveland Browns, free agent, 2015 Mike Rose — New York Giants, free agent, 2016 Joe Thuney — New England Patriots, third round, No. 78 pick overall, 2016 Year‑By‑Year Record 2011: 8-5 overall, 4-4 ACC, Belk Bowl vs. Louisville (W, 31-24) 2012: 7-6 overall, 4-4 ACC, Franklin American Mort- gage Music City Bowl vs. Vanderbilt (L, 38-24) 2013: 3-9 overall, 0-8 ACC 2014: 8-5 overall, 3-5 ACC, Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl vs. Central Florida (W, 34-27) 2015: 7-6 overall, 3-5 ACC, Belk Bowl vs. Mississippi State (L, 51-28) TOP STORYLINES Kicker Niklas Sade broke legendary running back Ted Brown's 36-year-old school record for most career points, finishing with 332. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN Recruiter Of The Class It's a close call between two assistants. Former of- fensive line coach Jim Bridge landed two NFL talents on the defensive line in end Mike Rose and tackle T.Y. McGill. He also inked wide receiver Hakeem Flowers and linebacker Michael Peek, the former one of the top recruiting battles won by the Pack. Flowers was a one-time silent Michigan commit. The edge goes to former special teams coordina- tor and recruiting coordinator Jerry Petercuskie. Tasked with finding three true freshmen to take over the specialists' role, he hit a grand slam in kicker Nik- las Sade, punter Wil Baumann and long snapper Scott Thompson. Sade and Baumann became NC State's most prolific performers at their respective roles, with Baumann earning first-team All-ACC honors as a senior. Petercuskie also was lead recruiter on valuable linebacker Rodman Noel, who was the lone four- star recruit in the class and arguably NC State's best defensive player in 2014.