The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/73006
2012 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 230-pounder finished with five receptions for 36 yards and two scores in 51 plays over 11 games. The 6-1, 252-pound Winkles came back from knee surgery to see action on 24 plays in nine games. He didn't catch any passes, but played tight end in high school. The fullback position has never had a carry under coach Tom O'Brien, and that won't likely change this upcoming season. "Logan Is coming off that ACL injury, and he is very improved," Kitchings said. "Logan will probably tell you this is the first point that he has felt 100 percent sure about his knee. He's a strong kid and a great kid. He worked hard this spring and is one of our most improved players." Purvis could have some of the best hands on the team. "Tyler wants to play, he is competitive and he has been working on things," Kitch- ings said. "He has been in the weight room trying to increase his strength and body weight, so he can not just be a pass-catching fullback but be an asset as a blocker for us too." ■ ||||||| QUICK FACTS Position Coach: Des Kitchings (1st season) Logan Winkles Top Reserves: HB Mustafa Greene (1), HB Tony career starts) Starter Lost: FB Taylor Gentry (18) Projected Starters: HB Washington and FB Returning Starter: HB James Washington (17 Tony Creecy logged 103 carries for 382 yards and a touchdown, plus had 25 catches for 157 yards and three touchdowns, as a redshirt freshman in 2011. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN ||||||| 2012 RUNNING BACKS No. Name 9 Brandon Barnes 26 Tony Creecy 35 33 Mustafa Greene 41 Milton Hall 36 Travis Leggett Jonathan Fisher 43 Kendrick Morgan 49 Tyler Purvis 10 24 44 Logan Winkles Shadrach Thornton HB James Washington HB FB 46 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Pos. HB HB HB HB HB HB FB FB 5-11 6-0 5-9 Ht. 6-0 6-0 5-11 6-0 6-3 6-1 6-0 6-1 Wt. 209 210 195 213 191 222 220 230 200 195 252 5th-Sr. R-So. Sr. Yr. 5th-Sr. R-Fr. Jr. R-So. Jr. R-So. Fr. Sr. Hometown (Last School) Bunn, N.C. (Bunn) Durham, N.C. (Southern) Beaufort, N.C. (East Carteret) Irmo, S.C. (Irmo) Burlington, N.C. (Williams) Chadbourn, N.C. (West Columbus) Supply, N.C. (West Brunswick) Reinholds, Pa. (Lancaster Catholic) Hinesville, Ga. (Liberty County) Orlando, Fla. (Boone) Thomaston, Ga. (Upson Lee) the NCSU running backs unit No. 6 in the ACC and No. 32 in the country … Athlon projected the running backs group No. 4 in the ACC … Fifth-year senior Brandon Barnes suffered an ankle injury dur- ing the spring of 2010 and did not play that fall … Redshirt sophomore Mustafa Greene injured his foot in April 2011, which knocked him out for last year … Greene missed the majority of the 2012 spring prac- tices due to off-the-field concerns … True freshman Shadrach Thornton rushed for 1,738 yards on 243 carries and scored 17 touchdowns his senior year at Hinesville (Ga.) Liberty County High … Thornton tallied more than 200 yards in four contests, and his season rushing output ranked sixth in the state … Rivals.com ranked Thornton, who verbally commit- ted to Kentucky before signing with NC State, as a three-star recruit and the No. 50 running back in the country … Redshirt sophomore Logan Winkles injured his knee during practices leading up to the 2010 Champs Sports Bowl … Junior Tyler Purvis' older brother, Ryan Purvis, played at Boston College and is currently with the New York Giants, after be- ing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Creecy, HB Brandon Barnes and FB Tyler Purvis Waiting Their Turn: None Newcomers: HB Shadrach Thornton Moved In: None Moved Out: None Other Departure: HB Curtis Underwood Jr. (graduated) FYI: Phil Steele's 2012 College Football Preview ranks