The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/790572
MARCH 2017 ■ 69 Hines is listed on the spring roster as a run- ning back. He ran 13 times for 44 yards last season. Samuels added 33 carries for 189 yards and six scores. "I'm excited about the group, to get in there coaching them to figure out who is go- ing to step to the forefront, and they are as well," Kitchings said. "Dakwa's … competi- tive, Reggie's competitive. Nyheim's a com- petitor. Johnny rebounded from his [shoul- der] surgery. That room should be fine." Can kicker Kyle Bambard bounce back with a big spring? It is no secret that NC State struggled with its field goal kicking last fall. The combina- tion of Bambard, a rising junior, and Connor Haskins, who was a fifth-year senior graduate transfer last season, went just 9 of 17 on field goals in 2016. The Wolfpack was one of the worst red-zone offenses in the coun- try during the regular season. NC State scored on 37 of its 49 (75.5 per- cent) possessions inside the 20-yard line. That was 118th in the country prior to the bowl games. They scored touchdowns 29 times (59.2 percent), which was 62nd for touchdown per- centage in the red zone. Of course, field goal kicking played a substantial role in that. NC State missed five field goal tries when the ball was inside the 20, and went 8 of 13 overall on red-zone kicks. Bambard finished last season 5 of 10 with a long of 48 yards. His abil- ity to become a consistent field goal kicker could go a long way towards determining NC State's success next season. He might find himself facing stiffer competition in the fall from potential newcomers, but this spring is his chance to re-establish himself. Who steps up in the secondary? NC State could start six seniors, all of whom started last fall, along its four-man defensive line and two line- backer spots. That's the good news. The challenging aspect on that side of the ball is filling out the secondary. Cornerback Jack Tocho and nickel Dravious Wright were se- niors last fall, and free safety Josh Jones decided to enter the NFL Draft after his redshirt junior cam- paign. That leaves three openings in the defensive backfield. At nickel, rising sophomore Trae Meadows intercepted a pass against Vanderbilt in his first-ever play on defense and might be the early favor- ite. Rising junior Freddie Phillips has moved to nickel after playing last season at corner. He has primarily played special teams in his career, and was fourth on the team with five special teams tackles last season. Rising sophomore corner Nick McCloud started the Independence Bowl due to an injury to rising senior Mike Stevens. Mc- Cloud finished last year with 15 tackles and three passes broken up. Fifth-year seniors Johnathan Alston, a converted receiver who redshirted last season after moving to corner, and Sean Paul and a pair of redshirt fresh- men, James Valdez and Bryce Banks, will try to provide McCloud competition for the spot. At free safety, rising redshirt junior Dexter Wright has been groomed to take over the position. After redshirting, he played a promi- nent role on special teams during his rookie season before getting more snaps on the field as a backup last fall. Wright's most memorable moment in 2016 was returning a blocked punt for a touch- down in the 10-3 win over Notre Dame in the inclement weather of Hurricane Matthew. He finished the year with 10 tackles and a quarterback hurry. Who is snapping the football? South Alabama graduate transfer Joe Scelfo did his job last season for NC State. He started every game and played a team- high 953 snaps. After the season, Scelfo was named honorable mention All-ACC. Offen- sive line coach and run game coordinator Dwayne Ledford will need a replacement for Scelfo. The early bet could be one of the two start- ing guards from last season — rising senior Tony Adams or rising redshirt junior Garrett Bradbury. Adams is about to enter his fourth season as a starter and was the backup center during his first two seasons in Raleigh. Bradbury took most of the work at center last spring before Scelfo's arrival. If Adams or Bradbury move in- side, NC State will need someone to replace their old spot at guard. Ris- ing redshirt junior Terronne Prescod, who started three games and played 311 snaps last season in a breakout campaign, is a good bet to get into the starting line with a full-time role. Is there a quarterback competi- tion? On the surface, rising redshirt ju- nior Ryan Finley would seem safe to return as the starter. He completed 243 of 402 passes (60.4 percent) for 3,059 yards with 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions last season after transferring in from Boise State. Finley had an advantage in the quarterback battle last fall. He had worked in offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Eli Drinkwitz's offense when Drinkwitz was at Boise State prior to coming to NC State. But rising redshirt junior Jalan McClendon is a talented signal- caller who showed he adds a di- mension to the offense with his legs. McClendon ran 35 times for 145 yards and two scores last season. He completed 16 of 30 passes for 176 yards with a score, but also threw four interceptions. If McClendon shows an increased comfort level within the offense this spring, it remains to be seen if he could potentially challenge Finley for the starting job. ■ Rising redshirt junior Dexter Wright's shining moment in 2016 was returning a blocked punt against Notre Dame for a score, and he could be in line for a starting job at free safety this fall. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP