Speedster Nyheim Hines has spent his first two seasons at NC State as a wide receiver (63 receptions/781 yards/1 TD), but in 2017 he will be returning to his roots. Coming out of Garner High School, Hines was a 4-star running back, ranked 16th nationally at the position by ESPN. As a Trojan, he compiled 6,242 rushing yards and 126 touchdowns.
When Hines arrived at NC State, his rushing skillsset was put on hold, because the the Wolfpack backfield was clogged with Shadrach Thornton and Matt Dayes. Hines’ time would come, but he was a player they couldn’t keep off of the field. Hence, the move to wide receiver.
For the past two seasons, Hines has had the opportunity to look down the line of scrimmage and watch Dayes handle the pigskin with greatness, finishing his career as one of the greatest running backs in NC State history.
With Dayes now wearing a Browns uniform in the NFL, Hines time has officially come. In two seasons, Hines has rushed 61 times for an average of 4.7 yards per carry, but some of those carries came on end-arounds from WR position.
After being spread out wide for two seasons, how will Hines handle the return to running back? That is a legitimate question for the Wolfpack as they enter camp today. In fact, that’s a legitimate question for everyone that covers the ACC.
The ACC Digital Network listed Hines as their #3 running back in the ACC who is ready for a breakout.
Fortunately for Hines, he doesn’t have to carry the pressure of the backfield on his shoulders. The Wolfpack also returns explosive Senior Dakwa Nichols (73 carries/265 career rushing yards) and the bulldozing Junior Reggie Gallaspy, who was a 4-star running back coming out of high school himself, and averaged 4.8 yards per carry last year.
Hines and the rest of the backfield have huge shoes to fill after the exodus of Dayes. All 3 of these running backs will touch the ball in 2017.
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.
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.
CBS Sports released their Preseason Top 100 College Football players heading into the 2024 season, and NC State Sophomore Wide Receiver Kevin Concepcion was ranked #57.
The rising sophomore is an all-around talent who can beat you in a bunch of ways, but mainly as a receiver. Concepcion rushed for over 300 yards at 7.8 per carry and caught 71 balls and 10 touchdowns for the season. The true freshman lit up the ACC and did most of his damage on the intermediate part of the field but has the speed to make the explosive catches as well. In his second year of college football, I’m positioning Concepcion as a top-10 receiver in the country. (CBS)
It’s clear that Jordan Waters is NC State’s starting Running Back heading into the 2024 season, but who will be #2 on the Depth Chart? In the Spring Game, Sophomore Kendrick Raphael functioned in that role. I don’t think that’s a guarantee that he will be the #2 Running Back when the Fall rolls around. Redshirt Sophomore Hollywood Smothers might have something to say about that, but nonetheless, Raphael went out their 2nd, and made the most of his opportunities.
With that being said, it’s worth noting Raphael rushed the ball 3 times for times for 39 yards and a touchdown, and also caught one pass.