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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

Former NC State All-American SS Trea Turner Named NL Player of the Week

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17 hours ago

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April 24, 2024

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Former NC State All-American Shortstop Trea Turner was named the National League Player of the Week last week.

  • The 30-year-old hit .462 (12-for-26) with a home run, four RBI, five doubles, a walk, 10 runs scored, a stolen base and a .481 on-base percentage in six games last week.
  • The Florida native led the Majors in runs scored; tied for the NL lead in doubles and extra-base hits (6); ranked third in slugging (.769), OPS (1.250) and hits (12); and ranked fourth in total bases (20).
  • The two-time All-Star recorded four straight multi-hit games from Tuesday through Saturday, putting together three-hit games on Wednesday against Colorado and Thursday against Chicago (AL). It was the third time in his Phillies’ tenure and eighth time in his career that he had at least four-straight multi-hit games.
  • The 2019 World Series Champion has hits in 10 straight games since April 11th, batting .429 (18-for-42) with two homers, six RBI, six doubles, two walks, 12 runs scored, a stolen base and a 1.169 OPS during the stretch. He has reached in each of his last 13 games since April 8th, batting .434/.483/.660 over the stretch.
  • The North Carolina State product stole home on Sunday against the White Sox, marking his 40th consecutive stolen base since September 6, 2022 when he was a member of the Dodgers. His current streak surpassed Jimmy Rollins for the fourth-longest all-time and is now tied with Hall of Famer Tim Raines for the third-longest streak in Major League history. Next on the list is Ichiro Suzuki, who swiped 45 straight bases from April 29, 2006 through May 16, 2007, and Vince Coleman, who stole a Major League record 50 straight bases from September 18, 1988 through July 26, 1989. (MLB)

Turner was a 2-time All-American at NC State. In 2012, Turner was named 3rd Team All-American by NCBWA, and in 2013 he was named 2nd Team by Collegiate Baseball, and 3rd Team by NCBWA and Baseball America.

Turner’s 113 career stolen bases at NC State are the most in school history.

Turner was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 1st Round with the 13th overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft.

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NC State’s Payton Wilson & Dylan McMahon’s 2024 Draft Projections

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21 hours ago

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April 24, 2024

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The 2024 NFL Draft is 1 day away. Where does NC State Linebacker Payton Wilson and Center Dylan McMahon project to be drafted?

PFF

Payton Wilson – 1st Round – 29th Overall Pick – Indianapolis Colts

It’s a cliché to go “best athlete available” for the Colts, but Payton Wilson certainly ticked that box at the NFL scouting combine. Wilson was exceptional in his final season at NC State, earning grades above 75.0 in all three facets of defense, led by his 90.0 coverage grade with three interceptions and four forced incompletions.

Dylan McMahon – 6th Round – 214th Overall Pick – Cincinnati Bengals

Sporting News

Payton Wilson – 2nd Round – 38th Overall Pick – Tennessee Titans

Dylan McMahon – 5th Round – 175th Overall Pick – New Orleans Saints

Walter Football

Payton Wilson – 2nd Round – 42nd Overall Pick – Houston Texans

CBS Sports

Payton Wilson – 2nd Round – 43rd Overall Pick – Atlanta Falcons

Dylan McMahon – 6th Round – 182nd Overall Pick – Tennessee Titans

The Athletic 

Payton Wilson – 2nd Round – 56th Overall Pick – Dallas Cowboys

Dylan McMahon – 7th Round – 232nd Overall Pick – Minnesota Vikings

Fantasy Pros

Payton Wilson – 3rd Round – 66th Overall Pick – Arizona Cardinals

Dylan McMahon – 7th Round – 55th Overall Pick – Green Bay Packers

NFL.com

Payton Wilson – 3rd Round – 80th Overall Pick – Cincinnati Bengals

Dylan McMahon – 4th Round – 112th Overall Pick – Carolina Panthers

ESPN

Payton Wilson – 3rd Round – 81st Overall Pick – Seattle Seahawks

Wilson has an early-round grade based strictly on his game tape, but durability concerns could drop him to this range — or even later. He had 130 tackles, six sacks and three interceptions last season.

Dylan McMahon – 7th Round – 247th Overall Pick – Houston Texans

Pro Football Network

Payton Wilson – 3rd Round – 83rd Overall Pick – Los Angeles Rams

Dylan McMahon – 6th Round – 205th Overall Pick – Detroit Lions

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Former NC State G Terquavion Smith Earns a Spot on the 2023-23 NBA G-League All-Rookie Team

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6 days ago

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April 19, 2024

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Former NC State Guard Terquavion Smith earned a spot on the 2023-24 NBA G-League All-Rookie Team.

Smith averaged 22.3 points, 3.4 assists and 3 rebounds per game for the Delaware Blue Coats. What’s crazy, is that he only started in 3 of the 36 games he played in. With that being said, he averaged 30.7 minutes per game. Smith shot 35.6% from three.

As a 2-way player, Smith also played 16 games for the Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 3.3 points in 5.3 minutes per game. He shot 37.1% from three.

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NC State LB Payton Wilson Visited with the Steelers Yesterday

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1 week ago

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April 17, 2024

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Former NC State Linebacker Payton Wilson had a Top-30 visit with the Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday. Wilson is the first Linebacker the Steelers have brought in.

Wilson has already had Top-30 visits with the Dallas Cowboys and the Carolina Panthers.

PFF ranks Wilson as the #1 Linebacker in the 2024 Draft, and #26 on their Big Board.

1. LB PAYTON WILSON, NC STATE

PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 26

Wilson has the length, movement ability, IQ and tape of a first-round linebacker. What will likely keep him from being drafted on Day 1 is his injury history and age. If healthy, he can be a starting inside linebacker in any defense. (PFF)

Will someone take Wilson in the 1st round? Will he be a 2nd round pick? If he slips past that, that’s just stupid.

 

 

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