The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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102 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2017 DEFENSIVE BACKS breaking up two passes in 81 snaps. He finished with 15 tackles in 184 plays over the 11 games he played in. "For Nick, he should be ready," Barlow noted about teams likely challenging the newcomer. "He is coming into it with more maturity than most freshmen or sophomores. "I think he'll handle it and accept the challenge. He's one of the most competitive guys on the team." Alston, redshirt freshman James Valdez and possibly freshman Chris Ingram will create depth. Alston is intriguing because he has good size (6-0, 210 pounds) and speed, and brings a unique background. Alston redshirted last year after playing wide re- ceiver his first three years. He has caught 39 passes for 391 yards and three touchdowns, but the Wolfpack think Alston is full of upside at cornerback. "I thought he responded well and did some good things [in the spring]," Barlow said. "He just needs to learn the defense and the craft of the position. Natural ability, he has as much as anybody in the secondary to be honest." ■ Getting To Know: Dexter Wright NC State redshirt junior safety Dexter Wright can remember the day where his recruiting started to turn for the better. He was finishing up his junior year at Hunt High in Wilson, N.C., and participat - ing at a Shrine Bowl combine at Washington (N.C.) High in the eastern part of the state. It was the final combine of the year and drew a heavy crowd of the top in-state players from the class of 2014. A chiseled Wright checked in around 6-2 and 200 pounds back then, but when he stepped up to take his turn at the 40-yard dash on the track he did not know that 4.31 seconds later, his life would change. The 4.31 seconds was the hand- timed 40 that he ran. "I knew I was fast," Wright said. "We never really timed me at my school, so it surprised me to see how fast it was." About a week later, Wright noticed that colleges were learning about his 40 time. "It helped out tremendously," he recalled. He had no offers entering the combine. By the summer, East Carolina, NC State and North Carolina were all in pursuit. NCSU had an advantage, though. Wright had already fallen for the Raleigh-based school. In a way, it was love at first sight for him. "Since coming to the [Wolfpack] games my sophomore and junior year," he noted of when that feeling began. After arriving at NC State, Wright has steadily and patiently built his profile on the team. Patience is a virtue he may have picked up making the 45-minute drive from Greenville, N.C., to attend schools in Wilson while growing up. The jumbo safety redshirted his first fall on campus, something he had little issue doing. "Going through camp I knew I wasn't ready to play," he admitted. "I didn't want to waste a year, get thrown into the fire and look stupid." Then his redshirt freshman year, Wright earned himself a valuable role on special teams, making a pair of stops on the unit. Wright hoped to compete for a starting job last year, but a preseason injury set him back in the competition and forced him to miss the first three games. By the end of the season, he managed to get more meaningful time on defense in addition to his special teams duties. Wright made 10 stops and added a quarterback pressure in seven games on defense. He averaged nine snaps per contest as a reserve in the final six games of the regular season after not playing on the unit in the first six. Then he played a career-high 45 snaps against Vanderbilt in the Independence Bowl. "It's definitely been a process," Wright described. Now he has his chance to take over the free safety position, where he'll compete with redshirt sophomore Jarius Morehead. Wright, who is now 6-2 and 232 pounds, brings his own unique athleticism to the position. He said that he has maintained his quickness and mobility despite the added bulk and believes it gives him an upper hand. Now he will try to translate it to the field and make more memories than the notable one that he has created thus far: returning a blocked punt for a score during the monsoon conditions created by Hurricane Matthew against Notre Dame, the lone touchdown in a 10-3 Wolfpack win. "I will definitely keep that around obviously, but I want to be known as one of the best safeties we've had here," Wright said. "I think that's the goal for anybody that comes here." — Matt Carter Quick Facts Position Coaches: George Barlow (cornerbacks, fourth season) and Aaron Henry (safeties, first season) Returning Starters: CB Mike Stevens (22 career starts) and SS Shawn Boone (14) Starters Lost: FS Josh Jones (32) and CB Jack Tocho (36 starts) FYI: Athlon ranked the Wolfpack defensive backs unit as the ninth-best group in the ACC … NC State has three redshirt freshmen joining the secondary, plus incoming freshman Chris Ingram of Mooresville (N.C.) High … Ingram earned a spot in the prestigious 2016 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas All-Star Game … Redshirt freshman safety Isaiah Stallings played in the 2015 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas All-Star Game, and he was also a standout prep basketball player … Redshirt freshman cornerback James Valdez was selected to the North-South All-Star Game in South Carolina following his senior season. ■ By The Numbers 4 Quarterbacks that NC State faced last year ended up being selected in the NFL Draft — Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer, Clemson's Deshaun Watson, Miami's Brad Kaaya and North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky. The quartet combined for 998 passing yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions against NCSU. 61 Overall draft choice for former NC State free safety Josh Jones, who went to the Green Bay Packers in the second round. He finished with a team-high 109 tackles and entered the NFL Draft with a year of eligibility remaining. 181 Career tackles for new safeties coach Aaron Henry during his career at Wisconsin (2007-11). He added seven career interceptions and started 32 of the 52 games he played in, helping the team to a trio of Big Ten titles and earning first-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior. Wright returned a blocked punt for the game-winning touchdown in NC State's 10-3 victory over Notre Dame last year, and also contributed 10 stops and added a quarterback pressure in seven games on defense. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP