The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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46 ■ THE WOLFPACKER ■ Familiar Passing Game Helping to establish the running game should be a potent passing attack. Quar- terback Ryan Finley chose to return for his sixth-year senior season in what famed ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. called a good decision. Finley will be throw- ing to what Doeren labeled the best receiv- ing corps he has coached. The headliner is junior Kelvin Harmon, who caught 69 passes for 1,017 yards and four touchdowns last season, becoming NC- SU's first 1,000-yard receiver since former NFL veteran Jerricho Cotchery in 2003. Harmon has become a viral sensation af- ter he released videos of one-handed catches from the jugs machine on social media. Har- mon even laid down for another video, rest- ing his head on one hand while snagging passes with the other. Alongside Harmon is redshirt junior Ja- kobi Meyers, whose rapid improvement af- ter moving from quarterback was evident with his 63 receptions for 727 yards and team-best five touchdown catches last fall. Also back is fifth-year senior Stephen Louis, who has four career 100-yard receiv- ing games and missed a fifth by just a single yard against Louisville last season. The Pack also has depth behind the big three. Redshirt sophomore C.J. Riley and sophomore Emeka Emezie both gained valuable experience last season, and could be primed for larger roles in 2018. Emezie led all players with four receptions in the spring game totaling 34 yards. Redshirt freshman walk-on Thayer Thomas also excited the coaches in the spring with his work and could serve as Meyers' backup in the slot. "He seems like a kid who has had it [work ethic] since he was young," Doeren said. "He is just the same person every day, who works really hard. He has a good skill set. He catches the ball well. He understands the game and has a high football IQ. "He is sneaky, too — he runs by a lot of people." ■ New Kicker It's no secret that NC State has struggled to find a consistent kicking game over the past three seasons. The threesome of Kyle Bambard, Connor Haskins and Carson Wise were a combined 26 of 51 on field goals from 2015-17. Last season, Bambard and Wise collec- tively went 10 of 20 on field goals. There were 106 kickers at the Football Bowl Sub- division level that attempted at least 12 field goals last year and had at least a 52.2-percent success rate. Of the 106, 84 of them made at least two-thirds of their attempts. The inability to count on a reliable kicking game changes the red zone play-calling for NC State and also left points off the board. Doeren's hope is that early enrollee Christo- pher Dunn can finally alleviate that problem. Dunn was considered one of the elite kick- ers nationally in the 2018 class coming out of North Davidson High in Lexington, N.C. He made a 57-yard attempt as a senior and was selected to play in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas All-Star Game. "I was really pleased with Chris Dunn as an early grad. … He was very consistent every day," Doeren said. "He has great work ethic and detail, and has a nice routine he feels comfortable with. The pressure kicks that he had in front of the team and with the rush — he did a tremendous job. "Our snapper and holder have done a nice job helping him adapt and not having a lot of things to worry about. He will be our start- ing kicker." Doeren added that Bambard and Dunn will compete to handle kickoffs, while Wise has a leg injury that has probably ended his career. Kicking is not the only question facing special teams. NC State must replace Hines — who returned two kickoffs and a punt for touchdowns in his Wolfpack career — at kick returner. Meyers and redshirt freshman wideout Thayer Thomas are leading con- tenders for punt return. Louis could be a frontrunner to handle kickoffs. ■ Junior wide receiver Kelvin Harmon, who notched 69 receptions for 1,017 yards and four scores in 2017, is part of a potent Wolfpack passing attack. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN