NC State Football
Jaylen Samuels is the Greatest Tight End in ACC History
I know…I know.
I just put NC State’s Jaylen Samuels in a box. I gave him a specific position title.
But what’s a guy supposed to do?
And I’m not pulling this out of nowhere.
Samuels was a Semifinalist (1 of 7) for the Mackey Award this year, which is given out annually to the nations best tight end.
I am building my argument for Samuels being the best tight end in ACC history off the fact that he has the most receptions by a player in that position in the history of the league.
1) Jaylen Samuels, NC State – 195
2) Cam Serigne, Wake Forest – 165
3) Heath Miller, Virginia – 144
4) John Henry Mills, Wake Forest – 142
5) Frank Wycheck, Maryland – 134
Samuels actually leads all tight ends in the nation in receptions this season.
He also leads all tight ends in the nation this season in yards after the catch.
Back to my point…JaySam being the best tight end in ACC history. Not only does he have the most recetpions by a tight end in conference history, but he also ranks 2nd in receiving yards and 4th in touchdown receptions (and could finish 1st after the bowl game).
ACC Receiving Yards By a Tight End
1) Cam Serigne, Wake Forest – 1,963
2) Jaylen Samuels, NC State – 1,805
2) Eric Ebron, UNC – 1,805
4) Bucky Hodges, Virginia Tech – 1,747
5) John Henry Mills, Wake Forest – 1,735
ACC Touchdown Receptions by a Tight End
1) Heath Miller, Virginia – 20
1) Bucky Hodges, Virginia Tech – 20
1) Cam Serigne, Wake Forest – 20
4) Jaylen Samuels, NC State – 19
5) Nick O’Leary, FSU – 17
First off, let’s give credit where credit is due. Wake Forest’s Cam Serigne is a freaking boss, and makes a valid argument for being the best tight end in ACC history as well.
Having Samuels and Serigne in the league at the same time, historically speaking, is rather astounding.
With that being said, Serigne is great, but there has never been tight end in the ACC like Jaylen Samuels. Period.
Samuels also has 1,087 career rushing yards (6.2 yards per carry), and 27 career rushing touchdowns. His 46 career touchdowns ranks 11th in ACC history.
If you want to call Jaylen Samuels a tight end, he just might be the best the ACC has ever seen.
NC State Football
Does the Addition of the UVA Series Equal the Elimination of NC State’s Series with App St.?
Earlier this week it was announced that NC State and Virginia would play one another in a home-and-home series, with the Wolfpack hosting in 2025, and the Cavaliers hosting in 2026.
Prior to the announcement, NC State already had their non-conference slate booked for both of those seasons.
As a result of the addition of the Virginia series, a previously scheduled non-conference game from each season would need to be dropped. While it hasn’t been officially announced by the school, Joe Giglio and David Glenn seem to think that the series with Appalachian State is going to be dropped.
State swaps out a home-and-home with App State for one with Virginia
Given the ACC’s stance on road G5 games, that was going to happen
The need for NCGA action, proposed bill from @DavidWillisNC becoming clearer https://t.co/vVskGttsT5
— Joe Giglio (@giglio_OG) May 15, 2024
NC STATE BACKS OUT OF FOOTBALL SERIES WITH APPALACHIAN STATE…. David Glenn Weighs in on Required #NCPOL Scheduling Bill per UNC, NC STATE, ECU, CHARLOTTE AND APP https://t.co/5sfWzmRa93 via @YouTube
— NORTH CAROLINA SPORTS NETWORK (@TheNCSportsNet) May 16, 2024
It would make the most sense, considering the Mountaineers were the only opponent the Wolfpack was scheduled to play in both 2025 and 2026. It would also make sense, considering the fact that ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips isn’t a fan of ACC teams playing Group of 5 schools on the road.
I will tell you this much. The Mountaineer faithful certainly believe NC State is dropping the series with App State, and it just takes a little scrolling on X (formerly Twitter) to get a read on their feelings on the situation.
This situation brings to mind the bill that has been proposed in the North Carolina House of Representatives that would force NC State and UNC to play App St., ECU and UNC Charlotte in Football, Men’s Basketball and Women’s Basketball.
If the addition of UVA means the elimination of App St. on NC State’s schedule, what are your thoughts? Share in the comments.
CBS Sports released their Top-25 Power 4 Coaches in College Football, and NC State’s Dave Doeren came in at #16. Heading into last season, he went into the season ranked #25.
16) Dave Doeren: The NC State coach finally gets some overdue credit. He’s always hovered around the bottom of our top 25 or just outside it, and now he finds himself firmly entrenched in it thanks to all the changes at the top. Coaches who take mid-tier programs and overachieve never get enough credit, in my estimation, and the consistency Doeren has established at NC State — where he spent most of his time in a division with Clemson and Florida State — is one of the most impressive things any coach in the country has done. I’m glad to see Doeren getting closer to the top 15. 2023 rank: 25 (+9) (CBS Sports)
Numerous CBS Sports’ analysts voted in the poll, and Tom Fornelli actually ranked Doeren #8.
ACC Coaches that made the Top-25
3. Dabo Swinney (Clemson)
8. Mike Norvell (FSU)
16. Dave Doeren (NC State)
19. Jeff Brohm (Louisville)
Kickoff time and TV Channel details have been revealed for NC State and Tennessee’s game in the Duke Mayo Classic in Week 2 of next season.
The game will be a primetime game on Saturday 7th, at 7:30pm on ABC.
This game has the makings to be a Top-25 matchup.
Here’s a look at some of the Way-Too-Early Preseason rankings for the Wolfpack and the Volunteers:
Action Network: NC State #24/Tennessee #17
ON3: NC State #22/Tennessee #15
247: NC State #21/Tennessee #11
ESPN: NC State #17/Tennessee #15
DraftKings released their way-too-early odds for the game, and Tennessee is currently a 5.5-point favorite.
Here’s the deal, as NC State fans, if we want to be a big time Football program, NC State fans need to gobble up tickets to this game. Let’s do our part and make sure that Bank of America Stadium is painted RED. Buy Tickets HERE.
NC State announced this morning that the Wolfpack and UVA will play in a home-and-home non-conference series, with the game in 2025 being in Raleigh, and the game in 2026 being in Charlottesville.
To reiterate, despite the fact that both teams are in the ACC, these games are considered non-conference games, and won’t count toward conference records. This is similar to what UNC and Wake Forest did a few years back.
Here’s what’s interesting about the addition of these games in 2025 and 2026. Prior to the announcement, NC State already had 4 non-conference games scheduled for both years.
It would be my assumption that one of the previously scheduled non-conference games for each season will not take place now.