NC State RB/QB Depth Chart for Troy

Junior Matt Dayes will be starting at running back for the Wolfpack against Troy.  When people think about NC State’s offense, they often think of Jacoby Brissett and Shadrach Thornton, but it was Dayes who won the Torry Holt Award for the best Offensive Player on the team last year.  Dayes led the Wolfpack with 13 touchdowns in 2014, which was also good for 3rd in the ACC.  He also led the team with 1,278 all purpose yards.  In fact, Dayes was one of just three players nationally with more than 300 yards rushing, receiving and by return.  He is the only player to reach those marks and also boast 5 or more touchdowns rushing and receiving.

Everyone has been talking about the arrival of True Freshman Reggie Gallaspy & Johnny Frasier, and no one is talking about RS Sophomore Dawka Nichols, who sits second on the depth chart for the Troy game ahead of Gallaspy.  Nichols only had 11 carries as a Freshman, but he racked up 66 yards in the small sample size.  Last season the Wolfpack also used Nichols to return kicks at the end of the season, and have lined him up as a slot receiver in camp.  He brings a lot of versatility to the position.

True Freshman Reggie Gallaspy enrolled early and took full advantage of it.  He rushed for 131 yards in the Kay Yow Spring Game in April, averaging 9.2 yards per carry.  As a Senior at South Guilford last year (4-star recruit), he led the state of North Carolina with 3,318 yards (9.5 ypc) and 52 touchdowns.  Gallaspy heads into the Troy game as the 3rd string running back.

Jacoby Brissett had one of the best single seasons of any quarterback in NC State history.  He had 2,606 passing yards (10th), 23 touchdowns (7th), and a 136.7 passing efficiency rating (5th).  Brissett is one of 8 quarterbacks in the past 5 years to pass for 2,000+ yards, rush for 300+ yards, throw 20+ touchdowns and 5 or less interceptions in a season.  What no one really talks about because he is a Senior, is that he did all of that as a first year full-time starter.

Jalan McClendon is entering his redshirt freshman season at quarterback. He was a 4-star prospect out of West Mecklenburg High School (Charlotte, NC), and the 248th overall player in the 2014 recruiting class according to Scout.com.  Doeren has spoken highly of McClendon’s improvement since the Spring, and how much more confident they are entering this season having depth at the quarterback position.