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In the Fall of 2013 Gavin Locklear (Apex High School) walked on to the NC State football team. He knew that he had a lot to learn, but he knew if he was coachable and applied himself that he had what it took to play at NC State.

“I knew I was good talented wide receiver, but I knew I needed some more work,” said Locklear. “I told myself once I got here and got some real good coaching, that I would put myself in a situation to hopefully be able to play here, and it seems like it’s working out.”

He learned a lot during his redshirt season, because heading into his redshirt freshman season last year, he had caught his head coaches eye.  Locklear was standing out in Spring workouts, and was in the mix to be in the rotation at wide receiver as a redshirt freshman last season, before suffering an open compound leg fracture during summer workouts.

When you are that close to achieving your goals, it can take a mental toll on a football player, but Locklear said that he never doubted his mental strength.

“The hardest part was more physical than mental for me.  Especially the rehab.  There were bumps in the road,” said Locklear. “You work, and you’re feeling good, and then something else would happen.  The whole leg was hurting.  I had the break in the leg, and then I ended up getting tendinitis.  It seemed like one thing after another, but I just had to stay true to the process.  Now I feel great.  Being completely good that first day of practice was a good feeling”

Even after a major leg injury, and a lengthy recovery process, Locklear has made it right back to where he was last year.    He had an impressive Spring once again.  He was listed as one of the starters on the Kay Yow Spring Game depth chart.  Both head coach Dave Doeren and quarterback Jacoby Brissett have spoken well of him this Spring and Summer.

That’s well and good for Locklear, but he has very high expectations for himself.  He believed he could play at NC State, and when he does he expects to contribute at a high level.

“I have high expectations for myself.  My goal is definitely to lead the receiver group in catches and receiving yards,” said Locklear. “At the same time, my goal is to be a great teammate and a great leader for these young guys, and even for the older guys.”

No one doubts the strength of NC State’s running backs or their quarterback, but the Wolfpack wide receiver corps is a question mark for most.  After two of the top three producing wide receivers from last season transferred (Bo Hines and Marquez Valdes-Scantling), everyone is left wondering who is going to step up to the plate.

“We definitely don’t take it lightly.  No one wants to be the weak link on the team.  We’re working hard.  We’re really pushing ourselves,” said Locklear. “Right now there is a lot of competition at wide receiver, and there is a actually a lot of depth.  We’re building really good depth and really good players that we can depend on.”

This will be the sophomore walk-on’s third season on the Wolfpack football team, and he has earned the respect of his fellow teammates.  Locklear was elected to the 2015 Wolfpack Football Leadership Council by his fellow wide receivers as the upperclassmen representative of the unit.  His leadership is one of the things that he thinks makes him special in this unit.

“My leadership within the group.  And my quickness and my good hands,” said Locklear. “I pride myself in catching the ball.  I really pride myself in being a dependable receiver.”

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Matthew is Publisher and Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He is also the Lead Pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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NC State Football

Does the Addition of the UVA Series Equal the Elimination of NC State’s Series with App St.?

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3 days ago

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May 17, 2024

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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.

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.

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NC State Football

CBS Sports Ranks Dave Doeren as 1 of the Top-20 Coaches in College Football

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4 days ago

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May 16, 2024

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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)

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NC State Football

NC State vs. Tennessee Kickoff Time & TV Network Revealed

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5 days ago

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May 15, 2024

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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.

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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.

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NC State Football

NC State and UVA Agree to Home-and-Home Non-Conference Games

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5 days ago

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May 15, 2024

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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.

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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.

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