The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/846301
74 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2017 OFFENSIVE LINE COMING ALONG A Veteran Line Is Further Ahead Than It Was A Year Ago BY MATT CARTER A fter the first spring practice of 2016, offensive line coach and run game coordinator Dwayne Ledford, completing his first workout on the job after being hired away from Appalachian State, made a couple of observations. "Obviously my thoughts were we got this, this and this we have to work on, we got to improve this, but aside from that I just remember walking away from that first practice thinking that de- fensive line is really good," Ledford said. "They were well taught. They were really good and just fundamentally good. "If you are battling with them on the offensive line, it's really going to stand out." A year later, Ledford feels that his unit is in a much better place to compete with NCSU's vaunted defensive line — and by virtue of that, they will be prepared to face any of its opponents on the 2017 schedule. Leading the unit is four-year starting right guard Tony Adams. The coach may have thought about moving Adams to center for his senior season, but given how well Adams and redshirt junior right tackle Will Richardson work together, Ledford was reluctant to mess with that formula. Nevertheless, he called Adams "a teacher's dream." "Wished he could be with us for another four years, but definitely glad he's there now," Ledford said. By this time next year, Adams could be competing for a spot on an NFL roster. "He will have value because he can play all three positions on the inside," said Ledford, who played in the NFL from 1999-2006 with five different teams. "You got to be able to do that. … I definitely Senior guard Tony Adams has been selected preseason first-team All-ACC by both Athlon and Street & Smith's. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN ■ By The Numbers 4 Years in the NC State program for each of the anticipated starting five. Each were signed in the class of 2014, and four of them redshirted. Senior Tony Adams was the lone member to play as a true freshman. 181.5 Rushing yards per game averaged during the four years under head coach Dave Doeren, compared to 115.0 yards per contest in the previous four seasons before his arrival. 313.6 Average weight of the projected starting five offensive linemen, with all five checking in north of 300 pounds.