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Former NC State Fullback Taylor Gentry was one of the most physical players to wear the Wolfpack Red-and-White in quite some time.  After graduating from Leesville Road High School (Raleigh, NC), Gentry walked-on at NC State, the alma mater of both of his parents.  As a Freshman, Gentry caught 7 passes for 72 yards, and earned a scholarship in the offseason.  Gentry finished his career at NC State with 38 catches for 313 yards and 5 touchdowns, but he ultimately left his mark as one of the most ferocious special teams players in recent memory.  His physicality led the Kansas City Chiefs to sign him to a free agent deal after going undrafted in 2012, but ultimately didn’t make the final roster.  Shortly after, Gentry found himself working a corporate job in Greensboro, but before long he would find himself on a field again, but this time without a helmet.
“Three years ago when I got out of football, I began working a corporate job for a mechanic contracting company in Charlotte.  I moved to the Greensboro area to work that territory.  One night I was back visiting Raleigh shortly after I moved there, and my brother and I were hanging out in our basement with some former football players, as well as other friends,” said Gentry. “One of those football players was Scott Thompson, and his brother Eric Thompson was with us.  He was visiting from California to watch Scott play that weekend.  It turned out that Eric played rugby and I’ll never forget when he looked at me and said “Taylor you should play rugby man, you will kill it.”  Eric plays out on the West Coast and is very good.  He was an All-American from what I understand.  That night we talked about the odds of making it to the professional level if I did well and the odds of going overseas.  In my mind that night, I was thinking the odds of that ever happening were slim to none.”
Gentry can now look back and see that he beat the odds.  On July 29th, Gentry signed a deal with the Sharks, a professional Rugby team out of South Africa.
“Now looking back as I sit here in South Africa, it’s very surreal.  So after talking to Eric Thompson, and thinking to myself that I’m not ready to buy knickerbockers and play golf on Sunday afternoons…that night I got in contact with Greensboro’s local rugby team the Triad Dogs, began learning, playing, and now I have a profound love for the sport,” said Gentry. “Fast forward 3 years, after many other steps and contacts with other parties such as the NRFL…here I am in Durban, South Africa.”
It hasn’t taken long for Gentry to gain legendary status down in South Africa.  When you are given the nickname of the leader of the Transfomers, you know you are doing something right.
“From a rugby point of view the experience has been great.  From the initial arrival to the airport, getting escorted by the police and skipping customs, I was known as the “American” who has come to play rugby,” said Gentry. “Now after several matches competing for what is known here as the “Murray Cup” my nickname has changed to “Optimus Prime” by the players I have played with.  When the roster gets sent out, you won’t find Taylor anywhere on the list.  All you see is “Optimus.”   So far the best moments of the rugby matches I have played in have been the big hits I have laid on opponents and the boys in the crowd yelling USA, USA, USA on repeat for a solid two minutes.”
Gentry believes that his time at NC State prepared him well to take his athletic skills to the Rugby field.
“NC State football helped prepare me to play at a big level on a big stage, and being used to it.  Being at NC State and being an athlete in a regimented and specific routine is also something that prepared me.  It is very similar to what we are doing here with professional rugby and the schedules and training regimens we have,” said Gentry.  “It also helped me become used to the speed and intensity of a game being played by the best athletes in the country.  As far as physically, being at NC State, I learned how to prepare and train myself as a top tier athlete which transitioned to training for my short NFL stent and now rugby.”

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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.

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Pack in the Pros

Terquavion Smith is a Top-10 Scorer in the NBA G-League

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2 weeks ago

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November 26, 2023

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Former Wolfpack scoring guard, Terquavion Smith is going off in the NBA-G League, and is now the 9th best scorer in the NBA G-League.

He’s averaging 24ppg, shooting 40% from the floor and 37% from long range. He’s also adding 5 rebounds and 2 assists per game. But putting the stats aside, his performances have been electric.

His team, the Blue Coats, are an affiliate of the 76ers. The Sixers are being led by Joel Embid (their center), their PG Tyrese Maxey, and PF Tobias Harris. Smith is a SG, and honestly, I think there’s a shot he gets his chance at some point this season. Kelly Oubre Jr has been out with a broken rib, and his replacement, De’Anthony Melton is doing alright, but his stats aren’t all that different than Terquavion’s.

Melton is averaging 12 points per game, shooting 40% from the floor and 40% from 3pt range. He’s adding 4 rebound and 4 assists.

Smith is the more explosive player, but it’s likely the 76ers want to see a little more offensive efficiency before they start thinking about moving him up.

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Pack in the Pros

Former NC State SS Trea Turner Set Phillies’ Record in NLDS

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2 months ago

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October 14, 2023

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Former NC State All-American Shortstop Trea Turner set a Phillies’ postseason record, collecting 4 hits in Philly’s Game 4 3-1 victory over the Braves. The Phillies first went to the playoffs in 1908, and Turner is the first player to ever have 4 hits in one game.

Turner was 4-4, and was a triple shy of the cycle.

Most people will remember Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos from the NLDS, but it’s Turner that’s slashing 500/.539/.942 in the 2023 playoffs thus far.

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Pack in the Pros

MLB 2023 Season PackPros Roundup

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2 months ago

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October 5, 2023

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Five former NC State baseball players played in the Major Leagues in 2023. Here’s a roundup of how it went for the four of them.

Shortstop Trea Turner signed an 11-year $300 million contract with Philadelphia heading into the 2023 season. Turner was coming off of his 2nd All-Star game appearance. 2023 was a little bit of a mixed bag for Turner. Through much of the season, the Phillies looked like they had made a terrible investment in Turner, but he finished the season extremely well. He finished his first season in Philly with a batting average of .266, which is the lowest of his career, if you don’t count the .225 he batted in his first year in the MLB, batting .225 in only 27 games. With that being said, his 26 home runs were the 2nd most of his career, and he stole 30 bases for the first time since 2021. Turner’s 102 Runs ranked 10th in the National League, and his 30 Stolen Bases ranked 9th.

Turner was taken with the 13th overall pick in 2014.

Carlos Rodon’s first year in New York was his worst season in the MLB to date. After signing a 6-year $162 million with the Yankees in the offseason, expectations were high for what Rodon would bring to the Yankees. He was coming off of back-to-back All-Star seasons in Chicago and San Francisco. Injury has plagued Rodon at times throughout his career, and the injury bug struck three times this season. As a result, Rodon only started 14 games. He finished the season with a 3-8 record, and a outrageous 6.85 ERA.

Rodon was taken with the 3rd overall pick in 2014.

Catcher Patrick Bailey made his MLB debut this season. He was called up from Triple A to the Giants on May 19. While Bailey’s offensive numbers won’t ‘wow’ you, he was one of the best fielding catchers in all of the MLB this year. In 97 games, Bailey posted a .233 batting average, with 7 HRs and 48 RBI. In fielding, Bailey was the best in the Majors in Framing, 2nd in Pop Time, and 2nd in Caught Stealing Above Average. He ranked 6th, throwing out 15 base stealers.

Bailey was taken with the 13th overall pick in 2020.

Catcher Andrew Knizner entered the year on thin ice with the St. Louis Cardinals organization and the fanbase, but by seasons end, he became a fan favorite. Despite the fact that he is behind starter Willson Contreras, Knizner played 70 games, and looked like a starting MLB catcher in many of them. Knizner finished with a career high in batting average (.241), Runs (30), 2B (11), HR (10), RBI (31), SLG (.424) and OPS (.712). Technically Knizner doesn’t become an undrafted free agent until 2026, signing a 1-year $1.1 million contract in arbitration prior to the season.

Knizner was taken in the 7th round in 2016.

Pitcher Evan Justice was called up to the Colorado Rockies for a brief stint in his first season of professional baseball. Things didn’t go well after the call up, posting an 8.59 ERA in 9 appearances, striking out 7 batters in 7.1 innings. As a result, he was optioned back down to Triple-A. In 2023, Justice pitched in A, AA, AAA and the majors. In the minors, he had an impressive 6-1 record with a 3.49 ERA, striking out an impressive 63 batters in 38.2 innings. Opponents batting average against him was a putrid .131, and his WHIP was 1.11.

Justice was taken in the 5th round in 2021.

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Pack in the Pros

PI EXCLUSIVE: AJ Cole Shares His NC State Story

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2 months ago

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October 4, 2023

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Former NC State Punter A.J. Cole is now a Pro Bowl Punter for the Las Vegas Raiders. Cole averaged 42.2 yards per punt while serving as the Wolfpack’s punter, which ranks 4th in school history. Since going undrafted in 2019, Cole was signed as a free agent by the Raiders, and he’s been their starter ever since. Cole was named to the Pro Bowl in 2021 and 2022, and earned 1st Team All Pro honors in 2021.

I caught up with Cole, and he shared how he ended up as the punter at NC State, what his time in Raleigh meant to him, how being a Wolfpack football player prepared him for the NFL, what it’s like to play with and against former teammates, and what NC State means to him today.

I’ll let him share his story in his own words.

“I went to the NC State camp in the summer going into my Senior year. They were looking to scholarship a punter. I had started punting in December, right after my Junior season ended, so I was still super raw. The coach that was running the camp set up a competition for Coach Doeren to watch the Punters. To qualify for the competition, you had 2 chances to hit a 38-yard punt with 3.8 seconds of hang time, which is not that hard. I was pretty nervous though, and shanked my 2 qualifying punts. So they eliminated everyone that didn’t qualify and brought up the guys that were going to kick in front of Coach Doeren. Well, the coach running the camp yells at me to ‘come over,’ and I told him I didn’t qualify. He said “You sure? I’m pretty sure you did. Hop in the line.” So I hopped in the line, and kicked really well. Coach Doeren brought me up to his office after the camp, and offered me a scholarship on the spot

It was pretty funny though, because I had never punted in a game before. So when I got home, they asked me for my hudl highlight tape, so they could watch it as a staff, and I had to tell them I had never punted in a game before, but I’d send them my tape after a couple games.

My experience at NC State was incredible. The biggest thing I always tell people about State is the people are great. From teammates, to coaches, to professors, to the other students, I really just enjoyed the kind of person that NC State attracts. I had a chance to pursue 2 dreams while I was there. I got to chase an engineering degree and play football. Obviously, I’m doing the football thing right now, but if that hadn’t worked out, my NC State degree would have served me well. Raleigh, North Carolina means a lot to me, and it really helped shape me into the man I am.

I feel like NC State prepared me well for the NFL. Being in a consistently competitive environment in the ACC definitely helped adjusting to the level of competition in the league. The facilities are world class, and the strength and conditioning program helped me make some super crucial changes to my body that allowed me to reach my potential.

Playing with Jakobi Meyers again has been awesome. It’s cool to play at this level with guys that you knew from college. We always talk about how the Pack is doing, and we do some reminiscing on the Raleigh days. There’s so many NC State guys in the league right now, it feels like every week I’m seeing an old teammate. That’s really special.

I absolutely still keep up with NC State. I watch all the games I can, and my friends from college are still my best friends.

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