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NC State 2018 Football Position Preview: Linebackers

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6 years ago

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Thus far we’ve previewed NC State Offense: Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Wide Receivers, Tight Ends, and the Offensive Line.

We’ve also knocked out the Defensive Ends and the Defensive Tackles. Next up is the Linebackers.

The Starters

Redshirt Graduate Senior Strong Side (“Mike”) Linebacker Germaine Pratt (6’3″/240) is primed for an All-ACC caliber Senior campaign. Pratt bided his time, playing behind Jerod Fernandez and Airius Moore last year. Even in a reserve role, Pratt showed his star power. According to ProFootballFocus, Pratt had the second highest grade for the 2017 season on the Wolfpack defense. You guessed it, Bradley Chubb was #1. That means that Pratt graded out better than 3 other Wolfpack defensive players that were drafted in the first 4 rounds (BJ Hill, Justin Jones, and Kentavius Street). He also graded out better than three other Wolfpack defenders that are still currently on NFL rosters in Week 4 of the preseason (Jerod Fernandez, Airius Moore and Johnathan Alston).

Pratt is the total package, being one of the best linebackers against the run and the pass in the ACC, and for that matter, the country. His Run-Stop Percentage was 12%, which was the 3rd highest among ACC Inside Linebackers last year. Quarterbacks passer rating when throwing against him was a dismal 45.4, which was the 4th lowest among Power 5 linebackers. Remember, Pratt came to NC State as a Safety, and spent his Freshman and Sophomore season in the secondary. He’s put on the weight of a linebacker, but still has the instincts of a Safety, which makes him effective in coverage.

Despite not starting a single game last season, he ranked 4th on the team in tackles (63), and 2nd on the team in interceptions (2).

Pratt is a complete linebacker. Expect him to have a special Senior Season.

Redshirt Freshman Weak Side (“Will”) Linebacker Isaiah Moore (6’2″/233) put on 20 pounds of muscle during his redshirt season. Moore’s redshirt year was not your customary redshirt season, being suspended for the entirety of it. He was part of a Title IX investigation last year involving 4 other NC State players that attended a party on campus. Two of them were dismissed from the team, and Moore along with Erin Collins and Xavier Lyas were suspended for the year. While the details of the investigation are private, none of the players were charged with sexual assault.

Sophomore Louis Acceus earned the 1st team nods in the Spring Game, but it was Moore who shined the brightest as a member of the 2nd team, tallying 10 tackles in the scrimmage. Doeren mentioned that it was a close battle throughout Fall Camp, but Moore was more consistent.

If you watch his high school tape, it’s crazy he didn’t have more schools recruiting him. Moore flies to the ball, and regularly lays out his opponent like a person hitting the hit stick on a video game. He looks like he has the skills to get after the quarterback and the running back in the backfield.

The 2’s

Redshirt Sophomore Strong Side Linebacker Brock Miller (6’3″/231) has always been a player the Wolfpack coaching staff has been excited about. After earning Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year in 2016 during his redshirt year, Miller injured his shoulder halfway through last year, and had to have surgery, leading him to miss the rest of the season. Miller is back, and impressed the coaches in Fall Camp. He ran a 4.6 40-yard dash in high school, and played stand-up defensive end, and knows how to shed blockers. I don’t foresee Pratt leaving the field much this season, being a 3-down linebacker, but Miller is bound to get some experience this season that will help him in the future.

Sophomore Weak Side Linebacker Louis Acceus (5’11″220) was the starter through the Spring and Summer, after playing special teams in 2017. Despite that, his good buddy Isaiah Moore walked him down, and took his job. Considering the position battle was so tight, expect Acceus to rotate to some degree with Moore, and take his job if he falters.

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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

NC State’s 2024 Transfer Class Ranks 7th Nationally After 2 Commitments this Week

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11 hours ago

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May 11, 2024

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NC State’s 2024 Transfer Class ranks 7th nationally according to ON3 after two commitments this week from Akron Safety Kerry Martin Jr. and Colorado Nose Tackle Chazz Wallace.

(ON3)

247Sports ranks the 14-man class 18th, and Rivals ranks it 28th.

NC State’s 2024 Transfer Class

Akron S Kerry Martin Jr. 
Colorado NT Chazz Wallace
Auburn S Donovan Kaufman
Oklahoma RB Daylan Smothers
Villanova CB Devon Marshall
Ohio State WR Noah Rogers
Duke RB Jordan Waters
Maryland DB Tamarcus Cooley
Maryland CB Corey Coley Jr.
UCONN TE Justin Joly
Coastal Carolina QB Grayson McCall
Wake Forest WR Wesley Grimes
Notre Dame C Zeke Correll
Missouri OL Valen Erickson

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NC State Football

NC State’s Grayson McCall Ranks 4th Amongst Active QB’s in Career Passing Yards Heading into ’24

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11 hours ago

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May 11, 2024

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NC State’s Grayson McCall ranks 4th amongst Active Quarterbacks heading into the 2024 College Football season. McCall leads all Active ACC Quarterbacks in Career Passing Yards.

Image

McCall was at Coastal Carolina for his first 5 years, throwing for 10,005 yards, which is 6 more than the infographic from PFF above.

McCall transferred to NC State for his final year of eligibility, and he has the weapons in place to throw for 3,000 yards for the first time in his career. If he did, he would be the first Wolfpack Quarterback to do so since Devin Leary threw 3,433 yards in 2021.

Here’s a look at McCall’s highlights from NC State’s 2024 Spring Game.

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NC State Football

The Athletic Includes NC State in Their Post-Spring 2024 Preseason Top-25

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3 days ago

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May 9, 2024

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The Athletic released their 2024 Post-Spring Preseason Top-25, and NC State landed at #21. Here’s what they had to say about the Wolfpack.

21. NC State

The Wolfpack made a huge acquisition at quarterback in landing Coastal Carolina transfer Grayson McCall. They also added former Ohio State wide receiver Noah Rogers, a North Carolina native and one-time top-50 national prospect. It’ll be hard to overcome the loss of linebacker Payton Wilson, one of the best defensive players in the country a year ago, and there are plenty of personnel questions in the secondary. But Dave Doeren always has this team ready to go. (The Athletic)

ACC in the Top 25

10. Miami

12. FSU

18. Clemson

21. NC State

22. Louisville

Tennessee, who the Wolfpack will play in Week 2 in Bank of America Stadium, is sitting at #15.

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NC State Football

NC State’s Current 2024 Football Scholarship Breakdown

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3 days ago

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May 8, 2024

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Here’s a look at NC State’s current Football scholarship breakdown.

Offense

Quarterback 
Redshirt Senior Grayson McCall
Redshirt Freshman Lex Thomas
4-Star Freshman Cedrick Bailey

Transferred Out: MJ Morris
Transferred In: Grayson McCall

Running Back
Redshirt Senior Jordan Waters
Redshirt Senior Running Back Demarcus Jones
Redshirt Junior Jordan Poole
Sophomore Kendrick Raphael
Redshirt Freshman Daylan Smothers
3-Star Freshman Jayden Scott
3-Star Freshman Isiah Jones

Transferred Out: Jordan Houston, Michael Allen, & Delbert Mimms III
Transferred In: Jordan Waters & Daylan Smothers

Wide Receiver
Redshirt Junior Jalen Coit
Redshirt Junior Jakolbe Baldwin
Redshirt Junior Dacari Collins
Junior Wesley Grimes
Sophomore Kevin Concepcion
Redshirt Freshman Noah Rogers
4-Star Freshman Jonathan Paylor
4-Star Freshman Terrell Anderson
4-Star Freshman Keenan Jackson
4-Star Wide Receiver Jimmar Boston
3-Star Freshman Christian Zachary

Transferred Out – Porter Rooks, Anthony Smith, Terrell Timmons, Josh Crabtree, Christopher Scott & Julian Gray
Transferred In – Wesley Grimes

Tight End
Junior Justin Joly
Junior Dante Daniels (JUCO Addition)
Sophomore Juice Vereen

Transferred Out – Christopher Toudle, Cedd Seabrough & Fred Seabrough
Transferred In – Justin Joly

Offensive Line
Redshirt Senior Dawson Jaramillo
Redshirt Senior Timothy McKay
Redshirt Senior Anthony Belton
Redshirt Senior Zeke Correll
Redshirt Junior Sean Hill
Redshirt Junior Anthony Carter Jr.
Redshirt Junior Matt McCabe
Redshirt Junior Patrick Matan
Redshirt Sophomore Rylan Vann
Redshirt Sophomore Jacarrius Peak
Redshirt Sophomore Valen Erickson
Redshirt Freshman Obadiah Obasayui
Redshirt Freshman Kamen Smith
Redshirt Freshman Darion Rivers
Redshirt Freshman Rico Jackson
4-Star Freshman Tyler West
3-Star Freshman Robby Martin
3-Star Freshman Trent Mitchell

Transferred out: Lyndon Cooper & Jaleel Davis
Transferred In: Zeke Correll & Valen Erickson

Defense

Defensive Line
Senior Defensive End Davin Vann
Senior Nose Tackle Chazz Wallace
Redshirt Senior Defensive End Noah Potter
Redshirt Senior Defensive End Red Hibbler
Redshirt Junior Defensive End Travali Price
Junior Nose Tackle Brandon Cleveland
Redshirt Sophomore Nose Tackle DJ Jackson
Redshirt Freshman Defensive End Isaiah Shirley
3-Star Freshman Defensive Lineman Chase Bond
3-Star Freshman Defensive Lineman Justin Terrell
3-Star Freshman Defensive Lineman Joshua Alexander-Felton

Transferred Out: Nose Tackles C.J. Clark & Nick Campbell
Transferred In: Nose Tackle Chazz Wallace

Linebackers

Redshirt Senior Devon Betty
Redshirt Junior Sean Brown
Redshirt Junior Caden Fordham
Redshirt Junior Jayland Parker
Junior Wyatt Wright (JUCO Addition)
Redshirt Freshman Kelvon McBride
Redshirt Freshman Kamal Bonner
4-Star Freshman Elijah Davis
3-Star Freshman Cannon Lewis
3-Star Freshman Zane Williams
3-Star Freshman Joshua Ofor

Transferred Out: LB’s Daejuan Thompson & Torren Wright

Defensive Backs

Redshirt Senior Safety Kerry Martin Jr.
Senior Cornerback Aydan White
Senior Defensive Back Corey Coley Jr.
Senior Safety Devan Boykin
Senior Safety Bishop Fitzgerald
Senior Safety Donovan Kaufman
Junior Cornerback Devon Marshall
Junior Cornerback Rente Hinton
Redshirt Sophomore Cornerback Jackson Vick
Redshirt Sophomore Defensive Back Isaiah Crowell
Sophomore Cornerback Brandon Cisse
Redshirt Freshman Defensive Back Tamarcus Cooley
Redshirt Freshman Safety Zack Myers
Redshirt Freshman Safety Daemon Fagan
4-Star Freshman Safety Ronnie Royal III
4-Star Freshman Cornerback Asaad Brown
3-Star Freshman Cornerback Jivan Baly
3-Star Freshman Safety Brody Barnhardt

Transferred Out: Safety Jakeen Harris, Defensive Back Nate Evans, Defensive Back Darius Edmundson, Nickel Cecil Powell
Transferred In: Tamarcus Cooley, Corey Coley Jr., Devon Marshall, Donovan Kaufman & Kerry Martin Jr.

Specialist

Redshirt Junior Caden Noonkester

That’s 83 players on scholarship, with 2 available.

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