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NC State Tight End David Grinnage entered the 2015 season with a lot of expectations surrounding him.  He was on the preseason watch list for the Mackey Award, which is awarded annually to the nations top Tight End.  That was not shocking after he finished last season with 27 receptions for 358 yards and 5 touchdowns.  All five touchdowns came in the final 7 games of the season.

While Grinnage has started the first two games for the Wolfpack, he has averaged 15 snaps in each contest, and only has one catch for 15 yards.  This comes after averaging 39 snaps last season as a Sophomore.

Grinnage hasn’t been demoted.  He started both games, but the coaching staff has been easing him back into game shape after an injury and illness filled offseason.

In NC State’s weekly press conference on Monday, Wolfpack head coach expressed his excitement that he believed that Grinnage was back to full strength and looking really crisp.

“He (Grinnage) missed all of winter conditioning, and half the summer, so he was out of shape.  He had a meniscus that we had to clean up and a sore back that we had to rest coming out of the season. Now he’s finally healthy.  He feels good,” said Doeren. “He had strep throat or tonsillitis or something during training camp.  It was like he could never be out there.  It’s hard when the other guys have been practicing and he’s out of shape.  He’s had two really good back-to-back weeks of practice.  He came out of both games feeling good and he is starting to look crisp again.  He gives us a big target, which we need.

I spoke with Grinnage after practice today, and he is ready to play.

“I feel great.  Everything is back to 100%.  I’ve just been waiting to go out there and give it my all,” said Grinnage. “I’ve been fighting through a couple different injuries and a couple of different illnesses to get back on the field with my family and play for them.”

Grinnage is a player.  No player likes to sit on the sidelines or in the training room while their teammates are on the field.

“It’s tough mentally, because you think about how you can’t be out there with your brothers helping them, because you’re in the training room getting help,” said Grinnage. “You just want to be back out there.  You have to be strong so your brothers will know that you will be back out there with them.”

Even though his playing time has been reduced and limited over the past two games, Grinnage is a team player, and celebrates the success of his fellow Tight Ends.

“To be honest I felt great.  Benson Browne and Jaylen Samuels are both in my tight end room, and they got touchdowns in both games, and I feel great for them.  Benson Browne’s touchdown…It was great. This is my 4th year with him,” said Grinnage. “He’s one of my best friends on this team.  He’s been waiting for that catch his whole career.  When it happened, I might have been more excited than he was.  It’s great for him.  It builds his confidence for the next play.  It’s really not about my production, but what I can do for the team. Whenever my time comes, my time comes.  It really doesn’t matter to me.”

David Grinnage at full strength gives the Wolfpack another big weapon heading into Old Dominion.

 

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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NC State Football

Former NC State Running Back Jordan Houston Signs with Marshall

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Former NC State Running Back Jordan Houston has officially transferred to Marshall for his final year of eligibility. NC State played Marshall this past season, but Houston didn’t play against the Thundering Herd, because he had already opted to redshirt the remainder of the season.

After playing in three games this past season, Houston opted to redshirt the remainder of the season (despite the fact that he was the starter at the time), giving him the ability to transfer with one year of eligibility remaining.

Houston played in 51 games for NC State over 5 years on the field, rushing for 1,392 yards (4.3 yards per carry) and 6 touchdowns. He also caught 60 passes for 398 yards and 1 touchdown.

Houston was a 3-Star prospect in NC State’s 2019 recruiting class out of Flint High School in Oakton, Virginia.

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NC State Football

Philip Rivers will Finally be Enshrined in the NC State Hall of Fame in April

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Wolfpack legend Philip Rivers will finally be inducted into the NC State Hall of Fame on April 20th!

Rivers was elected into the Hall of Fame back in 2013 (2nd year of the NC State Hall of Fame), but he has deferred his enshrinement over the years due to time constraints.

 

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Rivers pretty much owns every NC State record for Quarterbacks, and still has the most Career Passing Yards and Passes Completed in ACC history, and he ranks 3rd in Touchdown Passes. Rivers was the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2000, and the ACC Player of the Year in 2003.

You can buy your tickets here.

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NC State Football

DJ Burns Had a Word for Wolfpack Fans After Winning the ACC Championship

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When NC State’s DJ Burns was giving his acceptance speech after receiving the 2024 ACC Tournament MVP Award, Burns had the following quote to say when asked what he wanted to say to the fans.

“I’m going to keep it real simple. Thank you to the ones who’ve been consistent throughout the ride, and welcome back everybody else.”

Burns’ words struck a chord.

Throughout much of this season, it was embarrassing to see all the empty seats in PNC Arena.

As the Wolfpack lost 7 of their final 9 regular season games, it was clear that this team wasn’t just losing games, but they were also losing much of the fanbase.

It’s clear from Burns’ words that the empty seats were noticed, and so were the words of fans online.

NC State finished the regular season 10th, and much of the fanbase was frustrated, and rightfully so.

But, frustrated doesn’t have to mean giving up.

‘Never giving up’ is kind of supposed to be NC State’s thing.

The words of Jimmy V reverberate throughout the history of NC State basketball.

This team didn’t always put W’s in the Win column this season, and it wasn’t always an easy watch, but never for a moment were these players not playing as hard as they could for their school, one another, and their coach.

They never gave up.

Fans have a right to be frustrated, but you can still show up for a team, even when they struggle, because that’s what loyal fans do. When players wear a jersey with NC State across the chest, and they don’t give up, their fans shouldn’t either.

NC State fans aren’t known to be fair weather fans. Let’s not get in the business of leading our players to think we are.

But, like Burns said, whether you’ve been along for the ride all season or not, it’s time to hop on.

 

 

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NC State Football

WATCH: PackInsider’s 2023 Sean Brown Highlight Reel

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This past season was a breakout season for Junior Safety, now turned Linebacker, Sean Brown.

This past season, Brown started in 11 of the 13 games that he played in, and ranked 3rd on the team in tackles (66) and pass breakups (5). He also had 5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions and 1 forced fumble. Brown’s PFF Grade of 63.7 ranked 13th on the team. His Tackling Grade of 86.6 ranked 2nd on the team behind Payton Wilson.

As you will notice in our Highlight Reel ABOVE, Brown lived in the box, and is a very ferocious tackler. He will fit right in at Linebacker next year for the Wolfpack.

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