Sophomore B.J. Hill played running back and defensive end at West Stanley High School (Oakboro, NC), but when he arrived in Raleigh early for the 2014 Spring semester, the NC State coaches began training him to be a defensive tackle. Hill adjusted quite well, recording 40 tackles as a true freshman, with 7.5 of those being for a loss. He started 5 out of the last 6 games, and brings much more experience into the season than other sophomores, but he feels like it’s still the little things that he’s trying to improve on this year.
“I’ve improved a lot. I’ve gotten stronger and bigger,” said Hill. “I’ve been growing in the little things, all of the fundamentals that Coach Nielsen has been teaching is.”
Coach Nielsen, Hill’s defensive line coach, spoke to me very highly of Hill’s continued improvement as a technician.
“He’s come a very long way with the fundamentals. He played running back in high school. Going from that to nose tackle, is a completely different position,” said Nielsen. “B.J. is a very smart player in terms of understanding the position…body angles, pad level, hands and things like that. He’s come a very long way.”
When asked what Hill needed to do this year to take his game to the next level, he kept it simple.
“Take those fundamentals, apply them to gameday, and make plays.” said Nielsen.
Hill thinks that the defensive line will surprise people this year, and that the Wolfpack team as a whole has a chip on its shoulder this year.
“We’ve got a young group. There are three sophomores starting and one senior. I think we are all going to surprise everybody,” said Hill. “I think we walk around with a chip on our shoulder. I think we have a lot to prove. I think we are definitely going to do better than last year. More than 8 wins…I think so.”
NC State squeaked out a 24-23 victory against Georgia Southern in the season opener in 2014, and Hill reassured me that the Wolfpack team wasn’t taking Troy lightly.
“We’re going to treat the Troy game like it’s the Clemson game,” said Hill. “It doesn’t matter who we are playing, we are going to treat them like their top dogs.”
Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.
Redshirt Freshman Hollywood Smothers seemingly was the 3rd string Running Back in NC State’s 2024 Spring Game a few weeks back, but at the end of the game, he had more rushing yards than any other back.
Smothers rushed the ball 8 times for 75 yards. He possesses explosive speed, as well as excellent vision.
Check out Pack Insider’s Tape of Smothers from the Spring Game.
Titialii spent his first three seasons at Portland State, which competes in the FCS. This year, he was the starting Center for the Vikings, and the year before he was their starting Left Guard. Over three seasons, Titialii started in 28 of the 32 games he played in.
He also has picked up offers from Baylor and Temple.
Noel III played last year at Texas Southern, which is in the FCS. As a Junior, he had 52 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in 10 games.
Prior to Texas Southern, Noel III spent his first two seasons at Nicholls State, where he recorded a total of 53 tackles.
247Sports ranked him as a 3-Star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class out of New Orleans (LA).
Noel III has 1 year of eligibility remaining.
With Nick Campbell entering the Transfer Portal, NC State is in the hunt for some depth at Nose Tackle. Even if the staff were to feel confident with what they have in JR Brandon Cleveland and RS-SODJ Jackson, the Wolfpack is in need of depth at the position.
It was evident NC State Tight End Justin Joly (6’3″/235) is going to be a problem for opposing defenses after his performance in the 2024 Spring Game a few weeks back. He is an extremely athletic Tight End, but he’s also bigger and more physical than I expected.
According to my calculations, Joly had 3 receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown. He started things off with a 3-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone. He followed that up with a 16 yard catch across the middle through contact. Finally, Joly was the recipient of a double-reverse flea flicker, from RB Demarcus Jones II to WR Kevin Concepcion to QB Grayson McCall to him, for a 37-yard gain.
Joly transferred to NC State this offseason from UCONN, and he was the #2 Tight End in the Transfer Portal according to ON3. He had an incredible Sophomore campaign this past year, catching 56 passes for 578 yards and 2 touchdowns. Joly had 4 receptions for 38 yards in the season opener against the Wolfpack.
