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Savion Jackson Needs to Prove He Deserves the #9

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1 year ago

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Back in June, it was announced that Junior Defensive End Savion Jackson was being honored with the #9 jersey, replacing the #90 he wore his first three seasons in Raleigh.

The #9 isn’t a number anyone just gets to select as their number of choice. It is a number at NC State that the coach honors a player with. It is a number at NC State that carries a legacy.

The #9 was worn by consensus All-American Defensive Ends Mario Williams and Bradley Chubb after him.

When Chubb was honored with the privilege of wearing the heralded #9 jersey that Mario Williams wore, he had just come off a Sophomore campaign in which he 10.5 tackles for loss and 5 sacks.

Before wearing the #9 in a game, Wolfpack Head Coach Dave Doeren required that Chubb call Williams to discuss with him what it meant to wear the #9 at NC State.

Whether it was being honored by his coach, the conversation with Mario, or some sort of magic with the #9, Chubb broke out as a Junior, tallying 21 tackles for loss and 10 sacks as a Junior. He followed that up with 23 more tackles for loss and 10 sacks as a Senior, earning consensus All-American honors, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year Award, as well as the Nagurski Trophy as a Senior.

Jackson had asked to wear the coveted #9 earlier in his career at NC State, but Doeren informed him that he wasn’t ready. With that being said, Doeren believes that he is now, but he did require Jackson to call Chubb before putting the jersey on.

Last time Doeren put the #9 on a player, he put it on Chubb, and his instincts proved to be brilliant.

Are Doeren’s instincts going to strike gold two times in a row?

Only time will tell. Jackson was a much more highly sought after prospect out of high school than Chubb. Coming out of Clayton High School right down the road, Jackson was a 4-star recruit, ranked by ESPN as the #50 overall player in the 2019 recruiting class.

With that being said, Jackson hasn’t put up numbers anywhere close to what Chubb did his Sophomore season. In 2021, Jackson had 1.5 tackles for loss and 0 sacks in 9 games. Those numbers don’t scream potential legacy.

To be fair, Jackson is playing in a 3-3-5 defensive scheme, which isn’t one where the Defensive End is as likely to end up in the backfield. In a 3-3-5, the defensive line more often that not sets up the linebackers to pad the stat sheet. Chubb on the other hand played in a 4-3 scheme, setting him up to be the primary pass rusher in the Wolfpack defense.

I’m a believer in Dave Doeren and his staff’s ability to develop talent. I’m also a believer in Director of Strength and Conditioning Dantonio Burnette’s ability to transform a player’s body. Jackson has putt on 25 pounds since arriving at NC State.

There are many things interesting about the Wolfpack heading into the 2022 season, but whether or not Jackson lives up to the number on his jersey is one of the most interesting in my book.

Jackson needs to produce on the field what Doeren has seen in him to deserve the #9.

 

 

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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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NC State Football

NC State’s Depth Chart vs. Louisville (with Notes)

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21 hours ago

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September 26, 2023

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NC State has released their Depth Chart for their matchup against Louisville this Friday night.

Image

Notes

  • Starting Center Dylan McMahon isn’t listed on the Depth Chart. Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren said that McMahon is still “day-to-day.”
    • As a result, Lyndon Cooper will be starting at Center once again.
  • Starting Strong Safety Devan Boykin had to leave the game almost immediately last Friday night up at UVA. He is not listed on the Depth Chart, but thankfully, it doesn’t seem like something major. According to Doeren, it’s not very likely that Boykin will be able to play Friday, but it hasn’t been completely ruled out.
    • As a result, Bishop Fitzgerald will be starting at Strong Safety.
  • The Depth Chart for the Running Backs is a hoot. While Michael Allen is listed at the top, there is an “or” in between everyone’s name, treating everyone as if they are starters.
  • Last week, Cecil Powell was listed as the third string Nickel, but Doeren said after the UVA game that he had been serving as Boykin’s backup at Strong Safety that week in practice. Both went out of the game due to injuries.
    • This weeks depth chart reflects the fact that he’d been getting run at Strong Safety last week. He’s listed as Bishop Fitzgerald’s backup at SS.
  • Last week Rakeim Ashford was listed as the backup at Strong Safety, and now he is listed as the backup at Free Safety.

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NC State Football

NC State’s Kevin Concepcion Earns Week 4 ACC Rookie of the Week Honors

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2 days ago

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September 25, 2023

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NC State True Freshman Kevin Concepcion earned Week 4 ACC Rookie of the Week honors for his performance against UVA.

ROOKIE – Kevin Concepcion, NC State, WR, Charlotte, N.C.
Concepcion totaled 116 receiving yards on six catches in NC State’s 24-21 road victory over Virginia in the two teams’ ACC opener. The true freshman wideout averaged 19.3 yards per catch and scored two touchdowns, including a 48-yard catch and run. The first true freshman receiver to start the first four games of the season for the Wolfpack since 2014 (Bo Hines), Concepcion has accounted for 27 percent of the Wolfpack’s receptions this season. (TheACC)

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NC State Football

NC State is a 3-Point Underdog vs. Louisville

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2 days ago

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September 25, 2023

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NC State is currently a 3-point underdog heading into their Friday night matchup against Louisville, and the Total is sitting at 55.

  • Louisville is 2-2 Against the Spread
    • NC State is 0-4 Against the Spread
  • The Total has gone Over in 3 of Louisville’s 4 games.
    • The Total has gone Under in 3 of NC State’s 4 games.
  • The Total has gone Under in 4 of the last 5 games between these two teams.
  • The Cardinals have won 6 of the last 10 straight Up against the Wolfpack.
    • In those 10 matchups, NC State has beat the Spread 5 times.
  • Louisville is 6-1 Straight Up in their last 7 games against ACC opponents.
    • NC State is 2-8 Against the Spread against ACC opponents in their last 10 games.
  • NC State has been the underdog against Louisville in 3 of the last 5 games.

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NC State Football

NC State’s Highest & Lowest Graded Defensive Players vs. UVA

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4 days ago

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September 23, 2023

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Here’s a look at which NC State Defensive players graded out the best and worst according to ProFootballFocus against UVA last night.

Top 5

LB Payton Wilson – 83.4
DE Davin Vann – 74.7
S Bishop Fitzgerald – 73.7
DE Savion Jackson – 73.5
LB Caden Fordham – 63.1

Bottom 5

DE Noah Potter – 45.7
CB Shyheim Battle – 48.0
LB Jaylon Scott – 55.2
DE Red Hibbler – 56.3
S Cecil Powell – 56.7

Notes

  • Payton Wilson has now graded out at 80+ for 2 straight games, which he has never done in his career.
    • He has been in the Top 5 in 3 of the first 4 games.
    • He had the highest run defense grade: 90.4.
    • He also had the highest grade in pass rush: 72.8.
  • Davin Vann has been in the Top 5 in all 4 games in 2023.
  • Bishop Fitzgerald has been in the Top 5 in 2 of the first 4 games.
    • He had the highest grade in pass coverage: 77.5.
  • Caden Fordham has been in the Top 5 in 2 of the first 4 games.
  • Noah Potter has been in the Bottom 5 in 3 of the first 4 games.
    • It’s his 2nd time posting the worst grade.
  • Shyheim Battle has been in the Bottom 5 in 2 of the first 4 games.
    • He did have the highest tackling grade: 81.1.
  • Jaylon Scott has been in the Bottom 5 in 2 of the first 4 games.
  • Red Hibbler has been in the Bottom 5 in 2 of the first 4 games.
  • Safety Sean Brown had the lowest grader in coverage: 41.9.
  • Noah Potter, Davin Vann and CJ Clark had the worst tackling grades: 18.4, 23.1, 26.3.

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