The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/699450
72 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2016 Donning A Famous Number Chubb wanted to play linebacker when he first got to NC State, even though the Wolfpack had recruited him with defen- sive end in mind. He thought that he could move around well enough at around 240 pounds on his 6-4 frame to pull it off. He played special teams as a freshman and then in the following spring made the move to defensive end. Chubb became a full-time starter last fall and flashed im- pressive potential. He had 69 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, numbers that all ranked second on the team. He added a team-high eight quarterback hurries and tied for the most forced fumbles with three. He listed at 273 pounds on the roster, but Chubb estimated he is probably 10 pounds heavier. He would like to be between 275 and 280 pounds this season. That would make him one of the bigger defensive ends in the ACC, but nowhere near as large as the man whose jersey number Chubb in- herited this spring. After going to head coach Dave Doeren and asking if he could switch from his old No. 49, Doeren said if it was okay with Nielsen, Chubb could become the first player to wear the No. 9 with the Mario Williams patch honoring the former NCSU All-American defensive end who became the ACC's first ever No. 1 overall NFL Draft choice. Nielsen agreed, and in the spring Chubb even got to meet Williams. "That's a big dude," Chubb remembered thinking. "At first I didn't know how to approach him or what he was going to say about the number. He said he knew who I was and told me, 'Make sure you hold the number down.'" Chubb should be up for the task. He's been making sure he has held the family name down his entire life. This will be the first year that Chubb will not play against his brother in a college game. NC State beat Wake Forest handily the first two times they played. Last year was a more meaningful game since both players were starting. Chubb had two tackles, including a sack, two quarterback hurries, one pass broken up and a forced fumble in the 35-17 NC State win. Brandon Chubb had six tackles (0.5 for loss) and two quarterback hurries on the other side. In the stands, the Chubb family wore shirts that were half State and half Wake colors. Immediately after the game, Chubb was not about to rub in the outcome, but he has slipped in the results a couple of times since then. It's a competition that will likely last a lifetime. After all, when Chubb went home for Mother's Day, his father and uncle were arguing over who was a faster hurdler back in the day, threatening to go back into the record books until grandma put an end to the argument. A few weeks later during a break in sum- mer school, Bradley and Brandon spent practically an entire day playing the Mad- den Football video game. "What a heck of a family — mom, dad and brother are unbelievable," Nielsen noted. "When we had home visits to go in there, it was really fun to recruit him and be around his family." ■ Chubb's older brother Brandon (above) was an All-ACC linebacker at Wake Forest; his father, Aaron, was a former NFL Draft pick; and his cousin Nick is a star running back at Georgia. PHOTO COURTESY WAKE FOREST When Chubb decided to change his uniform number for this season, head coach Dave Doeren and defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen agreed that the junior standout should become the first player to wear No. 9 with the Mario Williams patch honoring the former NCSU All-American defensive end. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN