The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/73006
season was devoid of many highlights, but the Pack got a strong game from Kuhn that afternoon. He made seven tackles, one off his career high, including two for loss and a sack. Final Analysis: Kuhn was another success story in starts. He finished with 120 tackles, 83 of them solo, 18.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 25 quarterback hurries, six pass breakups and a forced fumble. Highlight: NC State's 34-0 loss at Florida State last Career Stats: Kuhn played in 47 games and made 15 JEFF RUIZ Punter Junior College/Hometown: Southwestern Junior College in Chula Vista, Calif./Chula Vista, Calif. Rivals.com Ranking: Two stars NC State Recruiter: Special teams coordinator Jerry the 2007 class. Like with Cole, NC State took a chance on Kuhn, and he developed into an NFL Draft pick. HENRY LAWSON Offensive Lineman High School/Hometown: Charlotte Catholic High/ Charlotte, N.C. Rivals.com Ranking: Two stars NC State Recruiter: Former tight ends coach Curt Cignetti Career Summary: Lawson was signed to play of- fensive guard at NC State, but he was not a heavily recruited prospect. Thus it was not a big surprise when Lawson struggled to carve out a role on the Wolfpack's offensive line. He redshirted in 2007, and he then spent the next yards per punt as a freshman at Southwestern JC to lead the entire state of California's junior colleges in punting. He came to NC State expected to immediately take over the punting duties. However, he failed to win the job in 2007 and red- Petercuskie Career Summary: Ruiz signed after averaging 43.3 shirted, while walk-on Bradley Pierson handled punting duties. Pierson continued to punt in 2008, and with highly regarded punter Chris Ward signed to come in 2009, the future looked bleak for Ruiz. Ruiz did manage to win the job in 2009, but he aver- Defensive end Jeff Rieskamp recorded 51 tackles (34 solo), 7.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and 25 quarterback hurries during his NC State career. PHOTO BY ERIC LUSK saw 62 snaps from the line. Final Analysis: Lawson, like the bulk of the offensive linemen in the 2007 class, did not pan out like it was hoped he would. three years as a seldom-used reserve who played pri- marily on special teams. Following the 2010 season, Lawson graduated and decided to give up football. Career Stats: Lawson played in 38 career games and Horton Career Summary: Like Crawford, Rieskamp was originally committed to Boston College and decided to join the staff when they transitioned to NC State. He redshirted in 2007 but showed his potential on the scout team and had defensive coaches, particularly line coach Keith Willis, excited about his future. Rieskamp started twice as a redshirt freshman in 2008 JEFF RIESKAMP Defensive End High School/Hometown: Elder High/Cincinnati Rivals.com Ranking: Three stars NC State Recruiter: Former tight ends coach Don starts, and had 51 tackles, 34 solo hits, 7.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, 25 quarterback hurries, two pass break- ups and a fumble recovery. Highlight: Playing against the triple option of Georgia Instead, Rieskamp injured his shoulder after the sea- son-opening win over Liberty, was never able to get it healed and missed the rest of the year. Rieskamp would have been an ideal candidate to apply for a sixth season of eligibility, given that he missed almost two full years with two separate injuries, but, according to O'Brien, Rieskamp never had an interest in pursuing one. Career Stats: Rieskamp played 25 games, making 14 aged only 37.9 yards per punt in 46 kicks, while Ward redshirted. With Ward expected to take over in 2010, Ruiz briefly left the team and explored transfer options on the West Coast. Then Ward was dismissed from the team in the spring of 2010, and O'Brien asked Ruiz to return. Ruiz averaged 37.4 yards per punt on 33 kicks in 2010 while sharing time with walk-on Andy Leffler. Career Stats: Ruiz punted 79 times for an average of 2010, Ruiz came on and boomed a pair of punts for an average of 52.5 yards, landing both of them inside the 20. Final Analysis: Ruiz probably did not live up to the 37.7 yards per kick. His career-long was 57 yards, and he pinned 25 kicks inside the 20. He had one punt blocked, and 31 of his boots were fair-caught. Highlight: When Leffler was struggling at UNC in Tech in 2010, Rieskamp had a career-high eight tackles, including two for loss, and a quarterback hurry. Final Analysis: Rieskamp's career at NC State is best described as hard-luck. A healthy Rieskamp would have likely been at a minimum a good contributor for four years at NC State. Willis believed that Rieskamp had all-conference potential. and notched 21 tackles, including 3.5 for loss and a pair of sacks. Then the bad luck began. He missed all of 2009 with a sports hernia that required surgery. He returned strong in 2010, earning a starting job and making 27 tackles, including four for loss and two sacks, and posting a team-high 17 quarterback hurries. He was set to move to his more natural strongside defensive end position in 2011, which would have allowed him to better showcase his pass rushing skills. fensive tackles in the ACC when healthy, but the real gem was Russell Wilson, one of the greatest quarterbacks in NC State history. 110 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Steve Dunlap was at NC State for only two sea- sons, and he was not retained by Tom O'Brien after the coaching change, but he left some nice parting gifts in the form of a pair of underrated two-star prospects. J.R. Sweezy developed into one of the top de- Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Recruiter Of The Year heavily recruited offensive line prospect to sign with NC State in the 2007 class. He chose State over UNC in the summer before his senior year and remained firm with the Pack through the coaching change. After redshirting the 2007 season, Roberts played in DESMOND ROBERTS Offensive Lineman High School/Hometown: Northampton West High/ Henrico, N.C. Rivals.com Ranking: Three stars NC State Recruiter: Former tight ends coach Curt Cignetti Career Summary: Roberts was probably the most six contests as a redshirt freshman. Those would be the only contests Roberts would play for State. He would leave the team following the 2008 season. After returning home for a year, Roberts signed with expectations when he signed out of Southwestern Junior College, but he gave State a serviceable punter for two years and answered when the Pack came calling in the spring of 2010. Greg Williams Career Summary: Simmons played wide receiver at JIMMAUL SIMMONS Safety Prep School/Hometown: Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va./Wilmington, N.C. Rivals.com Ranking: Two stars NC State Recruiter: Former defensive backs coach New Hanover High in Wilmington, N.C., but back then he was more noted for his athleticism on the hardwood. He matriculated at Hargrave Military Academy in 2006 and made the switch to defensive back. His play impressed State and Southern Miss enough to send offers his way, and Simmons enrolled at NCSU in the spring of 2007. He redshirted that following fall, and then developed a knack for making plays in limited time as a reserve in 2008. He intercepted two passes, returning one 20 yards Fayetteville State in 2010. He started the first two games and played in six contests last season. He will be a red- shirt junior in eligibility next fall. Career Stats: Roberts played a total of just 30 snaps at NC State. Final Analysis: Roberts was a small-town recruit that showed up at NC State with big expectations. However, like Golder and Lawson, he did not pan out as expected. and the other 32. He also forced an early fumble in the Pack's lopsided 41-10 win at UNC that season. Simmons was expected to compete for more playing time in 2009, but he abruptly left school shortly before the season began. It's not known what happened to Simmons after he left State. Career Stats: Simmons played in 11 games, seeing the field for 174 snaps, and posted 16 tackles, 11 of them solo, two interceptions and a forced fumble. Highlight: Simmons' first career play was an intercep- tion. He picked off a pass at South Carolina in the 2008 season opener and returned it 20 yards. Final Analysis: Simmons flashed intriguing potential