The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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College. Vermiglio proved to be a surprisingly quick con- tributor. He started three games as a true freshman and was named honorable mention Freshman All-American by Sporting News. A year later, Vermiglio started the last seven games of Cardinals and was picked up on the Green Bay Packers' practice squad after being released by the Cards. He signed with the Buffalo Bills Dec. 27. Career Stats: Started 32 of the 45 games he saw action in. Highlight: As a true freshman, Vermiglio made his second career start against UVA, which featured senior All-American defensive end Chris Long, who would be chosen No. 2 overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. Vermiglio, though, proved up for the challenge. He graded out at 85 percent for the game in 77 plays and did not allow a sack to Long. Final Analysis: There were four offensive linemen the season at the crucial left tackle position and never gave it up. He started all the games he played in during 2009, missing two contests with a leg injury, and all 12 in 2010, missing one contest with a suspension. He was named honorable mention All-ACC as a senior. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona signed in the 2007 class. Three committed to Amato, whose regime struggled to field consistent offensive line play. Vermiglio was the lone to commit to O'Brien and Horton, who was the offensive line coach at the time. Both were renowned for their offensive line successes at Boston College. So it's probably little surprise that the three who pledged to Amato did not pan out for varying reasons, while Vermiglio was a hit for O'Brien. Not many players are three-years starters at left tackle at the ACC level. RUSSELL WILSON Quarterback High School/Hometown: Collegiate School/Rich- At NC State, quarterback Russell Wilson completed 683 of 1,180 passes for 8,545 yards with 76 touchdowns and 26 interceptions, placing him third all time in school history in passing yards and attempts, and second in total completions and touchdown passes. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN the chatter about Wilson centered around whether his throwing abilities and leadership qualities could over- come his 5-11 height. That was also the case coming out of high school. Duke and NC State were the only two schools to mond, Va. Rivals.com Ranking: Two stars NC State Recruiter: Former defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Steve Dunlap Career Summary: Before the NFL Draft, much of and added 260 rushing yards and four more scores. He was named honorable mention All-ACC. The 31 scoring tosses were second in school history for one season behind the 34 Philip Rivers threw in 2003. Wilson's junior season saw him briefly earn some Heisman Trophy chatter after he led the Pack to a 4-0 start. He finished the year completing 308 of 527 passes for 3,563 yards with 28 touchdowns and 14 intercep- tions. He had 435 yards rushing and nine touchdowns as well. During the season, Wilson set a school record for pass attempts in a year and had the second-highest number of completions and passing yards only to Rivers' 2003 campaign. That would be Wilson's final year in Raleigh. During the offer Wilson a scholarship, and partly because State was going to let him play baseball, he chose the Pack. The coaching change did cause some brief anxiety, and Wilson took a late visit to Duke before deciding to stick with the Wolfpack. He redshirted in 2007 and then beat out Daniel Evans, Mike Glennon and Harrison Beck for the starting job in 2008. The rest was history. Wilson completed 150 of 275 passes for 1,955 yards with 17 touchdowns and just one pick and ran for 388 yards and four scores en route to being named first-team All-ACC and the league's Rookie of the Year. The only negatives from 2008 were that Wilson missed two full games and left two others not to return because of various injuries, including at halftime of the Papajohns.com Bowl against Rutgers with State leading 17-6. Rutgers rallied to win the game after Wilson left with a knee injury. As a sophomore, Wilson extended his NCAA-record spring he played minor league baseball while contemplat- ing his next career move. In Wilson's absence, O'Brien decided to name Glennon his starting quarterback, and he granted Wilson a release to play elsewhere if he decided to continue playing football. Wilson transferred to Wisconsin for his senior season unlikely, however, to catch Rivers in passing yards and completions. When combining his Wisconsin stats with NC State, Wilson completed 907 of 1,489 passes for 11,720 yards and 109 touchdowns with 30 interceptions. He also rushed 441 times for 1,427 yards and 23 more scores. Highlight: The 28-24 win over No. 15 Florida State at Rivers and Roman Gabriel on the list of the greatest NC State quarterbacks of all-time. ■ and helped the Badgers win the Big Ten's inaugural cham- pionship game and reach the Rose Bowl. He completed 225 of 309 passes for 3,175 yards with 33 touchdowns and just four interceptions. His quarterback efficiency rating of 191.8 is an NCAA record. He also ran for 338 yards and six scores. He was named first-team All-Big Ten after throwing the second-most touchdowns in a single season in league history behind former Purdue standout Drew Brees' 39. Wilson finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy voting. He was drafted in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. Career Stats: At NC State, Wilson completed 683 of streak without an interception to 379 straight passes. He started all 12 games that year and completed 224 of 378 passes for 3,027 yards with 31 touchdowns and 11 picks, 1,180 passes for 8,545 yards with 76 touchdowns and 26 interceptions. He is third all time in school history in passing yards and attempts, and second in total comple- tions and touchdown passes. Wilson also ran 362 times for 1,087 yards and 17 touchdowns. Had Wilson stayed at NC State, he would have needed The Final Grade: A- with every class, and NC State hit a grand slam in Russell Wilson. But in addition to Wilson, the Pack found some significant pieces that helped the program go 17-9 overall, 9-7 in the ACC and win a pair of bowl games the last two years. Tight end George Bryan and receiver Owen It's not a perfect class, but it was a very good one. It starts at the quarterback position, as it does Carter-Finley Stadium in 2010 was one of the signature moments of O'Brien's tenure thus far at NC State, and a lot of the credit for the win goes to Wilson. His throwing numbers that Thursday evening were modest — he com- pleted 18 of 28 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown with one pick— but he also ran 17 times for 69 yards and three scores. That matched Wilson's second-best rushing output in a game at NC State and set a personal best for rushing touchdowns in a contest. Final Analysis: By the end of his career, Wilson joined Spencer etched their names in the State record books in the passing game, while linebacker Audie Cole was one of the top tacklers in school history. When healthy, J.R. Sweezy, Markus Kuhn and Jeff Rieskamp gave State a formidable defensive line, and Jake Vermiglio was a three-year starter at left tackle. Having eight of the 22 recruits that enrolled from to throw 20 scoring tosses and 530 pass attempts to pass Philip Rivers for the most all time at State. He was the 2007 class receive at least a free agent contract from an NFL team is a ratio that ranks among the best in recruiting history at NC State. JULY 2012 ■ 113