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Where are they now? NFL QB Edition: Philip Rivers

Published

10 years ago

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Vince Lombardi was fond of telling friends that football was the perfect team game except for one conspicuous problem—The quarterback was too important.

As the first week of preseason games just concluded we had a chance to see three former NC State signal callers take the field. I would like to break down each of these guys and give insight to their seasons ahead.

Philip Rivers (6-5, 228) Entering 11th season:

Last year was a welcoming sight not only for San Diego Chargers fans but also Philip River’s supporters. Prior to last season Philip struggled mightily with turnovers and subpar team performances. Personally, I attribute most of his struggles during those seasons to a leaky offensive line and a lack of weapons on the perimeter. Take into consideration the constant rumors swirling around Norv Turner at the time and all together you had an environment less than conducive for success.

Enter in Mike McCoy and a new scheme to breathe fresh air into the Chargers and what did you see? Many saw a rejuvenated Philip Rivers and a potent offensive unit. The Chargers ranked 5th in total offense by gaining 393.3 yards a game and ranked 4th in passing yards per game at 270.5. Philip Rivers was instrumental in helping the Chargers reach these numbers. However a favorite statistic of mine speaks volumes of just how good of a quarterback Philip Rivers is. This can be found in 3rd down completion percentage. The Chargers lead the league in 3rd down percentage, converting at a 49% clip. Games are won and lost on 3rd downs!

Philip has always been a big time performer when the game is on the line. He always seems to come up the biggest when his team needs him the most. In his career he has led 33 comebacks in the 4th quarter! That ranks 38th all time according to Pro Football Reference.

As for the upcoming campaign I expect to see even more improvement from the Chargers and Philip. Yes he has a new Offensive Coordinator, following Ken Whisenhunt’s departure to the Titans. With Whisenhunt gone, the Chargers promoted Frank Reich to Offensive. Reich served under Coach Whisenhunt while he was with the Cardinals and as an assistant with the Chargers last season. I expect to see a similar offensive scheme that focuses on the run game and picking and choosing when to take shots down the field.

The passing game was a huge weapon but Philip was quick to praise the ground attack and deflect the compliments to his teammates for his personal accolades last season. A saying that the Chargers frequent around their practice facility is Nunc Coepi, a Latin phrase that means; “Now I begin.” In a recent interview Philip spoke on this mantra, he talks about how he has had the mind set to begin again no matter the outcome. Philip stated, “You can always begin again, you throw a touchdown, well, now we begin. You throw an interception, you can begin again, and constantly you can start over.”

I believe it is because of this mindset, “Now I begin,” Philip will have zero hangovers from his success last season. As a whole the Chargers should be even better than they were a season ago. I expect a healthy Malcolm Floyd and the continued emergence of Keenan Allen to be a deadly one-two punch on the perimeter for Philip. With great complimentary pieces of Gates and Royal working the underneath and middle, I expect the passing attack to be even more efficient.

Just how important is Philip Rivers to San Diego’s success? Nick Hardwick, longtime center, sums it up perfectly, “He’s the top man on the totem pole in this building for sure.” He goes on to say, “but just interacting with teammates, he’s just a guy. He’s one of your buddies. There’s no pretense about him whatsoever.”

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NC State Football

NC State’s Current 2024 Football Scholarship Breakdown

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1 hour ago

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April 26, 2024

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Here’s a look at NC State’s current Football scholarship breakdown.

Offense

Quarterback 
Redshirt Senior Grayson McCall
Redshirt Freshman Lex Thomas
4-Star Freshman Cedrick Bailey

Transferred Out: MJ Morris
Transferred In: Grayson McCall

Running Back
Redshirt Senior Jordan Waters
Redshirt Senior Running Back Demarcus Jones
Redshirt Junior Jordan Poole
Sophomore Kendrick Raphael
Redshirt Freshman Daylan Smothers
3-Star Freshman Jayden Scott
3-Star Freshman Isiah Jones

Transferred Out: Jordan Houston, Michael Allen, & Delbert Mimms III
Transferred In: Jordan Waters & Daylan Smothers

Wide Receiver
Redshirt Junior Jalen Coit
Redshirt Junior Jakolbe Baldwin
Redshirt Junior Dacari Collins
Junior Wesley Grimes
Sophomore Kevin Concepcion
Redshirt Freshman Noah Rogers
4-Star Freshman Jonathan Paylor
4-Star Freshman Terrell Anderson
4-Star Freshman Keenan Jackson
4-Star Wide Receiver Jimmar Boston
3-Star Freshman Christian Zachary

Transferred Out – Porter Rooks, Anthony Smith, Terrell Timmons, Josh Crabtree, Christopher Scott & Julian Gray
Transferred In – Wesley Grimes

Tight End
Junior Justin Joly
Junior Dante Daniels (JUCO Addition)
Sophomore Juice Vereen

Transferred Out – Christopher Toudle, Cedd Seabrough & Fred Seabrough
Transferred In – Justin Joly

Offensive Line
Redshirt Senior Dawson Jaramillo
Redshirt Senior Timothy McKay
Redshirt Senior Anthony Belton
Redshirt Senior Zeke Correll
Redshirt Junior Sean Hill
Redshirt Junior Anthony Carter Jr.
Redshirt Junior Matt McCabe
Redshirt Junior Patrick Matan
Redshirt Sophomore Rylan Vann
Redshirt Sophomore Jacarrius Peak
Redshirt Sophomore Valen Erickson
Redshirt Freshman Obadiah Obasayui
Redshirt Freshman Kamen Smith
Redshirt Freshman Darion Rivers
Redshirt Freshman Rico Jackson
4-Star Freshman Tyler West
3-Star Freshman Robby Martin
3-Star Freshman Trent Mitchell

Transferred out: Lyndon Cooper & Jaleel Davis
Transferred In: Zeke Correll & Valen Erickson

Defense

Defensive Line
Senior Defensive End Davin Vann
Redshirt Senior Defensive End Noah Potter
Redshirt Senior Defensive End Red Hibbler
Redshirt Junior Defensive End Travali Price
Junior Nose Tackle Brandon Cleveland
Redshirt Sophomore Nose Tackle DJ Jackson
Redshirt Freshman Defensive End Isaiah Shirley
3-Star Freshman Defensive Lineman Chase Bond
3-Star Freshman Defensive Lineman Justin Terrell
3-Star Freshman Defensive Lineman Joshua Alexander-Felton

Transferred Out: Nose Tackles C.J. Clark & Nick Campbell

Linebackers

Redshirt Senior Devon Betty
Redshirt Junior Sean Brown
Redshirt Junior Caden Fordham
Redshirt Junior Jayland Parker
Junior Wyatt Wright (JUCO Addition)
Redshirt Freshman Kelvon McBride
Redshirt Freshman Kamal Bonner
4-Star Freshman Elijah Davis
3-Star Freshman Cannon Lewis
3-Star Freshman Zane Williams
3-Star Freshman Joshua Ofor

Transferred Out: LB’s Daejuan Thompson & Torren Wright

Defensive Backs

Senior Cornerback Aydan White
Senior Defensive Back Corey Coley Jr.
Senior Safety Devan Boykin
Senior Safety Bishop Fitzgerald
Senior Safety Donovan Kaufman
Junior Cornerback Devon Marshall
Junior Cornerback Rente Hinton
Redshirt Sophomore Cornerback Jackson Vick
Redshirt Sophomore Defensive Back Isaiah Crowell
Sophomore Cornerback Brandon Cisse
Redshirt Freshman Defensive Back Tamarcus Cooley
Redshirt Freshman Safety Zack Myers
Redshirt Freshman Safety Daemon Fagan
4-Star Freshman Safety Ronnie Royal III
4-Star Freshman Cornerback Asaad Brown
3-Star Freshman Cornerback Jivan Baly
3-Star Freshman Safety Brody Barnhardt

Transferred Out: Safety Jakeen Harris, Defensive Back Nate Evans, Defensive Back Darius Edmundson, Nickel Cecil Powell
Transferred In: Tamarcus Cooley, Corey Coley Jr., Devon Marshall & Donovan Kaufman

Specialist

Redshirt Junior Caden Noonkester

That’s 81 players on scholarship, with 4 available.

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NC State Football

A Look at NC State’s Draft Picks Year-by-Year

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4 hours ago

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April 26, 2024

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NC State didn’t have any players drafted in the 1st round of the 2024 NFL Draft last night, but I expect Linebacker Payton Wilson to hear his name called tonight.

Heading into the draft, NC State ranked 10th in NFL Draft Picks according to the ACC Media Guide.

Under Dave Doeren’s watch, 24 players have been taken in the NFL Draft.

Here’s a look at NC State’s NFL Draft Picks year-by-year.

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NC State Football

Auburn Transfer Linebacker Cam Riley Decommits from NC State

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12 hours ago

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April 26, 2024

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Auburn Transfer Linebacker Cam Riley (6’5″/242) announced tonight that he is decommitting from NC State.

Back on February 26th, Riley verbally committed to NC State. Players out of the Transfer Portal don’t sign a National Letter of Intent like players out of high school, making it easier for them to change their mind.

247Sports and ESPN both ranked Riley as a Top-300 4-Star prospect in the 2020 recruiting class. 247Sports ranked him as the #229 overall player nationally in the 2020 class, the #14 Outside Linebacker, and the #10 player in the state of Alabama.

In 2020 and 2021, Riley played in 22 total games (2 starts), playing in 160 snaps, tallying 23 tackles. In 2022, Riley broke out, starting in 7 of the 11 games, ranking 2nd on the team in tackles, with 65.

This past season, Riley played in 13 games, but only started in 1. He had 32 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. His PFF grade of 66.7 was the highest of his career.

Over 4 seasons, Riley played in 46 games (10 starts) for Auburn, tallying 948 snaps.

In my mind, there was a good chance that Riley was going to earn the starting role at the SAM Linebacker position at NC State, with Sean Brown at the WILL and Caden Fordham at the MIKE.

Unless NC State grabs a Linebacker out of the Portal now, I would expect Redshirt Freshman Kelvon McBride to be at the starting SAM position at the beginning of Fall Camp.

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NC State Football

ON3: NC State’s Dave Doeren is 1 of the Top-25 Best Coaches in College Football

Published

19 hours ago

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April 25, 2024

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ON3’s Jesse Simonton ranked the Top-25 College Football Coaches heading into the 2024 season, and NC State’s Dave Doeren ranks 23rd.

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Here’s what Simonton had to say about Doeren:

23. Dave Doeren, NC State

Doeren became the Wolfpack’s all-time winningest head coach last season, overcoming all manors of offensive ineptitude to win eight games for the fourth straight season. He still hasn’t busted through the glass ceiling and taken NC State to an ACC Championship, but the Wolfpack have legitimate conference title hopes in 2024 with the offseason work Doeren has done via the portal (quarterback Grayson McCall, tailbacks Jordan Waters and Hollywood Smothers and receivers Noah Rogers and Wesley Grimes). 

In 11 seasons in Raleigh, Doeren’s program has been steadily consistent and has become a model for development (17 NFL Draft picks since 2018) and strength and conditioning. (ON3)

ACC Coaches in the Top-25

6. Dabo Swinney (Clemson)

7. Mike Norvell (FSU)

20. Jeff Brohm (Louisville)

23. Dave Doeren (NC State)

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