The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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2012 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Slay has bounced around between tackle and end during his career at State, but Willis is hopeful that with the depth along the line he can keep Slay at end for his senior season. "Brian is probably the most well-rounded, knowledgeable, in terms of knowledge of the game, defensive ends that I've had be- cause he's the one guy that's played all the positions," Willis noted. "He's played inside, started on the inside. He gets guys lined up. The guy is very good on the football field, off the football field when it comes to board knowledge. He can spell it out on the board. Brian would be a good coach. Brian knows coverage. He's a pretty knowledgeable kid." Cato-Bishop (6-4, 278) started nine games last year, compiling 26 tackles and five sacks. He also had 11 quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and one interception. Willis has em- phasized to Cato-Bishop not to rest on last year's success. "He needs to take it to the next level be- cause he's been there, he's been in the mix, he's played in games," Willis stated. "We've won games with him. For a guy who has played, I am expecting him to take the next step." Fifth-year senior McKay Frandsen (6-3, 255) also is expected to be in the rotation after he played in 12 games last year, includ- ing one start, and posted 15 tackles and six quarterback hurries. "McKay is consistent, just hard-nosed, not a great athlete but just fixes his lunch bag and comes to work," Willis said. "He deserves to play because he's worked hard for it." Redshirt junior Sylvester Crawford also gained experience last year. Crawford (6-4, 240) played in nine games and posted three tackles and a forced fumble. There is also a wealth of talent entering the equation this fall. Redshirt freshman Mike Rose started spring drills at linebacker, but a few practices before the Kay Yow Spring Game he moved to end, and the 6-4, 232-pounder who was a track star in high school quickly impressed. "He's the defensive end that was a pleasant surprise," Willis acknowledged. "I probably Year-By-Year Sack Totals Year 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 Sacks Yards 38 42 24 23 27 24 41 33 27 48 242 284 159 144 177 193 292 237 182 355 had him three practices and he went in and played well in the spring game. I'm looking for some big things from him." Then there is a talented foursome signed in the 2011 class, highlighted by Kend- erius Whitehead, a heavily recruited 6-4, 220-pounder from Martin Luther King High in Lithonia, Ga. "The kid is good, he's a really good foot- ball player," Willis stated. "He plays with an attitude, he comes off the edge. The ques- tion is going to be, now he's not going to be playing against little Joeys, he's going to be playing against Division I players, can he duplicate that same attitude and vigor? I don't see a problem with that, but there's going to be some growing pains for him. If he gets his mind right, he'll probably play his first year." Also signed were Tyler Knox (6-4, 255) from Myrtle Beach (S.C.) High; Desmond Owino (6-5, 235), a native of Nairobi, Kenya, who played at Sanderson High in Raleigh; and Joe Wright (6-7, 235) from Rose High in Greenville, N.C. Willis admitted that it is going to be tough finding a rotation of players with so many options. "That's a good thing," Willis said. "I love that, I love that challenge. "I want to put these guys into position and just let them run. This is the first time since being here we are in a position to do that." ■ 2010 season. He arrived at Boulder an unheralded and lightly recruited signee from Salisbury School in Canton, Conn. "Coming out of high school, I didn't have too many offers, and Colorado was one of them, was my favorite place coming out of high school." there, so I thought it might be best for me to try other options, to NC State. He posted his highlights on You- Tube.com, and then e-mailed them to colleges, including NC State. "They looked at it and liked it, so it went from there," West stated. Modern technology helped West reach out " West admitted. "I came here, took a visit, got to know the coaches, got to know the place, and I really liked it. out to West, but his visit to Raleigh sealed the deal for the Wolfpack. "I didn't know too much about NC State, Connecticut and Arizona State also reached " when he arrived at NC State. First was adapt- ing to the weather, specifically the heat and humidity that is still around in August when preseason practices start. "I was not used to the difference, West had to make two major adjustments " … not redshirting any more, so I got to get after it." schemes are different. "Here it's a lot more new zone blitzes, to get used to it, but I'm getting there." Fortunately for West, since he had played as a true freshman, he had a redshirt year at his disposal. That means he still has two seasons of eligibility left at NC State. Sitting out the 2011 season was not easy, though. "It was pretty depressing, " West said. "It was a long year. Sometimes it felt like the year was never going to end, but West said that the intensity in practices and workouts are similar to what he experienced at Colorado, but the " West stated. "It's basically a new cadence for me and it's taken me a while that West can get into the rotation at defensive end this fall. West is hoping to prove that he's more than a pass rusher. "I think I bring that motor, someone who is going to go hard every play, pass play, I'm just going to give it my all." Head coach Tom O'Brien called West a "good ballplayer" during his spring press conference, and he is optimistic " West said. "Whether it's a run play or a — Matt Carter JULY 2012 ■ 71 The second adjustment was watching a game from the sideline. NCAA rules force transfers to sit out a season. " West acknowledged. West recorded 5.5 sacks as a sophomore at Colorado in 2010, but decided to move on when a coaching change occurred after the season. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN tackles, including 5.5 sacks and an additional three more hits behind the line of scrimmage, but a coaching change in Boulder after the season led to a difficult decision. "I really didn't like how things were going highlight tape, sent it out, and State was one of the schools that offered me, and it was my favorite school when I visited. " West noted. "So I made a Redshirt junior defensive end Forrest West appeared destined for a bright future at Colorado, especially after the GETTING TO KNOW: Forrest West " West recalled. "That He played as a true freshman, and then emerged as one of Colorado's best pass rushers in 2010. He recorded 19