The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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80 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2016 Overall, he finished the year with 31 tackles, including three for loss. Huxtable noted that Nicholson is "a great contact player." "He's a guy that I am just super-excited about," the coach added. "He's a tough, old throwback type of kid that loves to play and loves to hit. "He's just a football junkie, and he's getting bigger and bigger every time I see him. He loves the weight room. He's tremen- dously strong, he runs, he's instinctive." After Nicholson, the leading contenders to provide depth are redshirt junior Ford Howell and junior Germaine Pratt. Howell played mainly special teams last season, and the former junior college transfer is still learning the defense. "He loves football," Huxtable said. "He's a tough kid. He's a guy I've got to continue to rep and rep, and increase his football IQ and understanding of the defense, but he's worked very hard at it. "We still have some ways to go with it, but I really feel good going into fall camp that he can give us some good play." Pratt was actually recruited to play line- backer, but he has spent the last two years at free safety. Lack of depth at safety negated any chance to move Pratt to linebacker, Huxtable said, but that changed this spring. He is getting work at weakside linebacker. "He's tall: he's 6-3 and 230 pounds," Huxtable added. "He's strong; he's tough. He's got to learn some linebacker play, but I really think that's he's a guy that could have a really, really bright future at linebacker." Two newcomers from the 2016 class will try to help Huxtable feel better about depth. Gar- rett Hooker has already gone through spring practices, and Brock Miller arrived in the sum- mer. Huxtable wants Hooker to work on changing his body to get stronger and faster. "But he's a very smart kid, and I really look forward to seeing his development as we con- tinue to go," Huxtable said. Miller posted video-game numbers as a se- nior at John Carroll High in Port St. Lucie, Fla., racking up 25 sacks among 65 tackles for loss. Even Huxtable took notice. "He had a great senior year," the coach said. "He's an explosive, quick, athletic, tall, rangy guy that can make plays." ■ Florida State faced a fourth-and-one at midfield, leading NC State 27-17 in the fourth quarter with 10:41 left in the game. After a timeout, the Noles decided to go for it. That made sense considering they had star running back Dalvin Cook, who ran for a school-record 1,691 yards last year. Predictably, Cook's number was called. A hole in the line seemed there, and Cook burst through. Two yards into the run, NC State true freshman linebacker Riley Nicholson stopped Cook cold. Cook got the first down, by a yard, but Nicholson's ability to stand him up at full speed and prevent any additional yards after contact stood out more on the play. "It definitely boosted my confidence," Nicholson said. "I would say he was one of the best running backs in the country." Nicholson started against FSU and finished with six tackles, including assisting on one for a loss. That was his third career start. His first was against then-No. 1 Clemson, a proverbial being thrown into the fire moment. "Not a lot of people get to play the No. 1 team in the country their freshman year, especially their first start," Nicholson said. "It was a good experience to play the best of the best. "I was a little more comfortable the FSU game. I was calmer, knew what to expect when I went out there. I wasn't so nervous, and I was in Florida so it was good to be home. There were about 20 people there that I invited." The Kissimmee, Fla., native arrived at NC State in the spring of 2015 as an early enrollee precisely for the opportunity to play as a true freshman. He started four games overall as a rookie, piling up 31 tackles and three stops for loss while breaking up a pass and hurrying the quarterback twice. His best contest came against Syracuse when he had a team-high nine tackles, including one for a loss. Spring practice No. 2 represented a significant difference for Nicholson. He's 15 pounds bigger, stronger and figures he is faster as well. More notably, he knows what he is doing at weakside linebacker. "I know last year when I was supposed to do it I was just kind of running around like a chicken with my head cut off," Nicholson said. "It's a little different this year, and I feel a lot better." — Matt Carter Nicholson started four contests and made 31 stops as a true freshman last year. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN "We still have some ways to go with it, but I really feel good going into fall camp that he can give us some good play." Linebackers coach Dave Huxtable on junior Germaine Pratt, who lined up at safety the past two years NC State's Leading Tacklers The Past Decade Year Name Tackles 2015 Airius Moore 77 2014 Hakim Jones 80 2013 Robert Caldwell 105 2012 Earl Wolff 145 2011 Audie Cole 132 2010 Nate Irving 97 Audie Cole 97 2009 Audie Cole 85 2008 Ray Michel 102 2007 DaJuan Morgan 117 2006 Pat Lowery 109 Getting To Know: Riley Nicholson