The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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JULY 2016 ■ 75 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2016 Nielsen said. "He's a solid guy. Last year he wasn't flashy. He just did the things we asked him to do. "Bradley has to take the next step which is create some plays, get some takeaways and make more of an impact on the game." Junior Kentavius Street is back at the other end spot after playing defensive tackle last season. The former four-star recruit has freakish athleticism, and Nielsen firmly believes he is close to translating that onto the field. "I think the game has finally slowed down for him, and his funda- mentals have picked up," Nielsen said, adding he felt Street put a lot of unnecessary pressure on himself to live up to his blue-chip status. "He knows now what we are asking him to do. "He's much more intelligent in terms of football IQ and seeing formations. … We'll get through camp and see where he is, but I am excited about him." Street will battle sophomore Darian Roseboro, a fellow four-star recruit in high school. Nielsen is preaching consistency for Roseboro. "He had some really good games, a couple of games with a couple of sacks, and you don't see that a lot from true freshmen," Nielsen noted. "Then some other games he didn't show up. "When it comes to maturity level and growing into the position, he had a good spring." A talented trio of redshirt freshmen should help provide depth at defensive end: Emmanuel Olenga, Tyrone Riley and James Smith- Williams. On the interior, junior B.J. Hill is back as a reliable nose tackle. He had 51 tackles, including 11 for loss and 3.5 sacks, as a sophomore. He has a love of football that makes Nielsen wonder what life would be for Hill without it. At defensive tackle, junior Justin Jones is a leading contender to line up next to Hill after starting three games last season. He notched 6.5 tackles for loss and two sacks on the year, but he has also had to battle nagging injuries. Defensive Tackles Roster STARTERS No. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown 98 B.J. Hill Jr. 6-4 300 Oakboro, N.C. Started 18 of the last 19 games at nose tackle, and posted 51 tackles, 11 stops for loss, 3.5 sacks, five quarterback hurries and three passes broken up as a sophomore. 27 Justin Jones Jr. 6-2 300 Austell, Ga. The former four-star recruit started three games last year and had 29 tackles, including 6.5 for loss and two sacks. Missed spring practice with an injury. RESERVES No. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown 94 Monty Nelson Sr. 6-2 315 Plantation, Fla. Excited coaches in the spring because he looked like the player who was named a second-team Freshman All-American by Athlon. A knee injury requiring microfracture surgery has limited him the last two years, but he is fully healthy and could compete for a starting job. 91 Eurndraus Bryant So. 6-1 345 North Charleston, S.C. Played as a true freshman last fall and assisted on a sack in the Belk Bowl against Mississippi State. WAITING IN THE WINGS No. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown 73 Grant Bowman R-So. 6-1 275 Wilmington, N.C. Walk-on who played at Laney High. 90 Ben "Shug" Frazier Fr. 6-2 321 Buford, Ga. Rated as a three-star prospect, the No. 45 player in Georgia and the No. 33 defensive tackle in 2016 class by Rivals.com. Could find himself playing as a true freshman. Chose NC State over Florida. 99 Quentez Johnson R-Fr. 6-2 330 Ellenwood, Ga. One-time Miami commit was listed by Rivals.com as a three-star prospect, the No. 65 player in Georgia and the No. 48 defensive tackle in the 2015 class. Has lost considerable weight since ar- riving at NC State and could compete for a spot in the rotation in the fall. Defensive Ends Roster STARTERS No. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown 9 Bradley Chubb Jr. 6-4 273 Marietta, Ga. Started all 13 games last season and was second on the team in tackles (69), tackles for loss (12) and sacks (5.5). Led the squad in quarterback hurries (eight) and tied for the team lead in forced fumbles (three). 35 Kentavius Street Jr. 6-2 290 Greenville, N.C. Has moved back to defensive end after starting nine games at defensive tackle last season. Made 31 tackles, including three for loss, last fall. RESERVES No. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown 92 Emmanuel Olenga R-Fr. 6-4 265 Charlotte, Impressed in the Kay Yow Spring Game with a pair of tackles for loss among his team-high six hits. 95 Tyrone Riley R-Fr. 6-6 285 Savannah, Ga. Used his long wingspan to break up two passes in the spring game. 45 Darian Roseboro So. 6-4 285 Lincolnton, N.C. The highly touted 2015 signee (and one-time Michigan commitment) played all 13 games last year and registered 18 tackles, 5.5 stops for loss and four sacks, and returned an interception for a touchdown against Syracuse. 39 James Smith-Williams R-Fr. 6-4 220 Raleigh Converted linebacker played four games and picked up four tackles before an injury forced him to redshirt. Tied a school record with 19 sacks at Millbrook High in 2014. WAITING IN THE WINGS No. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown 54 Davion Allred R-Jr. 6-0 228 Raleigh Walk-on from nearby Millbrook High. 69 Evin Bellamy R-Fr. 6-2 216 Leland, N.C. Walk-on from North Brunswick High. 75 Hampton Billips R-So. 6-7 247 Greensboro, N.C. Walk-on from Northwest Guilford High that had an active spring game with six tackles. 55 Deonte Holden R-So. 6-4 240 Landover, Md. Ranked by Rivals.com as a three-star prospect, the No. 18 player from Maryland and the No. 31 strongside defensive end in the 2014 class, but has battled injuries since arriving at NC State. Quick Facts Position Coach: Ryan Nielsen (fourth season) Returning Starters: DE Bradley Chubb (13 career starts), NT B.J. Hill (18) and DE Kentavius Street (9 at DT) Starter Lost: DE Mike Rose (28) FYI: Athlon Sports' 2016 Preview rated the NCSU defensive line as the sixth- best unit in the conference, and listed Chubb as a preseason third-team All-ACC choice … Phil Steele's 2016 College Football Preview ranked the unit fourth best in the conference and 13th best nationally, and had both Chubb and Hill on its pre- season All-ACC third team … Phil Steele's also listed Hill as the No. 34 draft-eligible defensive tackle in the country … Freshman defensive tackle Ben "Shug" Frazier played for one of the best high school programs in the state of Georgia, helping Buford High win 4-A state titles from 2012-14 and reach the championship game in 2015 … Redshirt freshman defensive end James Smith-Williams was an early enrollee in 2015, started at nickel before moving to linebacker and then ultimately defensive end … Redshirt freshman defensive end Tyrone Riley reputedly has a seven-foot wingspan. "They've put themselves into a position going into the summer to build off [a strong spring practice]. We're not ready to play the first game of the season yet, but they're working towards that." Defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen