The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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52 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2016 touches," Kitchings noted. "Ob- viously he's shown abilities to make plays last fall, obviously he has elite speed. "For our offense he is some- body that gives us something dynamic whether he is from the slot or tailback." Equally versatile is another option: junior first-team All- ACC tight end Jaylen Samuels. He will continue to sit primar- ily in tight ends/fullbacks coach and special teams coordinator Eddie Faulkner's meeting room, but Samuels showed last year he could handle running back in a pinch. He ran 56 times for 368 yards (6.6 yards per carry) and nine touchdowns. As if that was not enough, Kitchings still has more options. Red- shirt junior Dakwa Nichols teamed with Gallaspy to carry the load against Syracuse and ran 12 times for 78 yards and a touchdown in the victory. He ran 43 times for 201 yards and a score overall, but he is also recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. Finally, there is former four-star running back Johnny Frasier, a one-time Florida State pledge that entered school with considerable buzz. It took a while for the redshirt freshman to get in proper shape with his conditioning and understand competition in practice, but he has the abilities to work his way onto the field in the fall. "That's the beauty of it as a coach when you got those kind of guys, guys that work hard and separate themselves from others, and the cream rises to the top," Kitchings said. ■ ■ Preseason Analysis **** Among country's best; *** Among ACC's best; ** Solid or has potential; * Too unproven Starters ***½ Senior Matthew Dayes, had he stayed healthy for the entire season, would have likely posted final numbers that would have rivaled any running back in the ACC. He is fully healthy and motived to have a big senior season. Experience ***½ Due to injuries and suspension, a lot of players got carries last season: sophomore Reggie Gallaspy (66), junior Jaylen Samuels (56), sophomore Nyheim Hines (48) and redshirt junior Dakwa Nichols (43). That does not even include Dayes, who has 300 career rushing attempts. Depth ***½ In addition to all the players previously listed, former four-star running back Johnny Frasier, a one-time Florida State commitment when he was a senior at Princeton (N.C.) High, is ready to play after redshirting last fall. NCSU is well positioned to handle po- tential attrition during the season. Overall grade ***½ There is not much to not like about the running backs. They are versatile, talented, experienced and deep. It's a roster of runners that almost any team in the ACC would be envious to claim. NC State's Top Rusher The Past 10 Seasons Year Name Yards 2015 Matthew Dayes 865 2014 Shadrach Thornton 907 2013 Shadrach Thornton 768 2012 Shadrach Thornton 694 2011 James Washington 897 2010 Mustafa Greene 597 2009 Toney Baker 773 2008 Andre Brown 767 2007 Jamelle Eugene 667 2006 Toney Baker 688 Getting To Know: Johnny Frasier Redshirt freshman running back Johnny Frasier was supposed to be a big deal when he arrived at NC State after a ballyhooed prep career at small-town Princeton (N.C.) High. The 5-10, 224-pounder capable of running the 40-yard dash in less than 4.5 seconds rushed for more than 7,000 yards and 99 touchdowns in his three years on Princeton's varsity squad. He also had 10 scoring receptions. Recruiters from Alabama to Florida State made him a priority. He was even commit- ted to the Seminoles for a while. His switch to NCSU weeks before National Signing Day represented a coup for the Wolfpack. Whether or not everything came too easy for Frasier in the past, he was in for what he called a humbling experience last fall. "It was difficult," Frasier admitted. "Ever since I played football, I had never been on the sideline just looking. It gave me a different perspective. It was really humbling: realizing you are not always going to play, and you have to work hard when you have the opportunity." The good news for Wolfpack fans is Frasier has learned what he believed was the most important lesson for why he did not get on the field as a true freshman, and he also has an appreciation for his experience. He can already see the change from preseason camp last fall to spring practices. "Preseason camp, I came in overweight," Frasier said. "I was out of shape. I am in better shape now. The game is slowing down. The coaches and everybody are doing everything they can to get me ready for the season." Last fall, Frasier noted even if he knew the plays or the drills, he struggled with his conditioning. "I couldn't take the reps because I was getting too tired," he said. He estimated that he needed a good month to get his feet on solid ground. "The transition from a small town to a big program, it was tough," he reflected. Frasier, though, is thankful for a lot of coaches and teammates helping him through it. He called his running backs room "amazing" and half-joked that even scout team players on defense gave him pointers from time to time. Looking back, he feels he used his redshirt time wisely. He got in better shape and in good position with his academics. He knows that there may be some doubters out there, but that is not his concern. "You read the articles and hear people say, 'He's not going to do this, or he's not go - ing to do that,'" Frasier noted. "You want to prove them wrong, but you have to realize you have to do it for yourself first." — Matt Carter Fraiser racked up more than 7,000 yards and 99 touchdowns on the ground in his three years on the Princeton (N.C.) High varsity squad. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN