NC State 2024 Defensive Line Preview

NC State’s season opener vs. Western Carolina is right around the corner, with kickoff set for 7pm on Thursday night. Before kickoff, let’s preview the Wolfpack Defensive Line.

Starters

Left Defensive End – Senior Davin Vann (6’2″/276)

Nose Tackle – Junior Brandon Cleveland (6’4″/315)

Right Defensive End – Redshirt Junior Travali Price (6’4″/283)

The return of Vann was one of the most significant stories of the offseason. Vann could have entered his name in the 2024 NFL Draft, and heard his name called. Instead, he returned to increase his Draft Stock, and take care of unfinished business.

Prior to the 2023 season, Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren honored Vann with the #1 jersey, which is given to the player that leads the team in work ethic, training and leadership. Vann was also named a captain this past season.

Vann’s PFF grade of 76.5 this past season was the third highest on the team behind Payton Wilson and Robert Kennedy III. He recorded 42 tackles, 7 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks as a Junior this season.

Vann has the 4th most Career QB Pressures out of all Power 5 players heading into the 2024 season, and the 2nd most in the ACC.

Bruce Feldman, of The Athletic, recently released his annual Freaks List, and Vann jumped 34 spots this year, landing at #6.

6. Davin Vann, NC State, defensive end

Wolfpack strength coach Dantonio Burnette has an impressive track record of producing Freaks, and Vann is the latest in the pipeline. Last year, the former state champion wrestler and track star was ranked No. 40 on our list. Now, the 6-2 Vann has moved up after dropping a full tenth of a second off his 40-yard-dash time to a blistering 4.69 seconds despite weighing 276 pounds. Vann bench-pressed 440 pounds (up from 405 last year), did 31 reps of 225, cleaned 365 and squatted 580 to go with a 33-inch vertical. He has been a disruptive force for the Wolfpack, notching six sacks, seven TFLs and 42 tackles last season. (The Athletic)

In 2023, Cleveland had 28 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. The Nose Tackle position is in good hands with Cleveland, whose PFF Grade of 69.5 was the 8th best on the Wolfpack defense this season, and was better than CJ Clark’s (transferred to Miami), who was the starter last season.

Cleveland has put on 15 pounds since last season, preparing himself to stuff the middle at Nose Tackle.

Price is filling the shoes that Savion Jackson filled at Defensive End. Prior to now, Price has primarily been used as a 3rd down pass rush specialist. This offseason, he transformed his body, adding 13 pounds.

Price was a 4-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class, with ON3 ranking him as the #186 overall player nationally, the #17 Defensive End and the #11 player in the state of North Carolina.

Last season, Price had 13 tackles in 295 snaps, with 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack and 5 QB Hurries.

2nd String

Right Defensive End – Redshirt Senior Noah Potter (6’6″/274)

Nose Tackle – Redshirt Sophomore DJ Jackson (6’2″/180)

Left Defensive End – Senior Red Hibbler (6’2″/271)

Hibbler spent this offseason trying to be more than just a pass rusher. He wants to be a 3-down player, and has worked very hard at his run defense skills. Despite the fact that Hibbler has worked to become a more well-rounded player, he was undeniably NC State’s best pass rusher last season, leading the Pack with 6.5. He also tied for the lead in forced fumbles (2), and tied for 2nd in tackles for loss (7). Recording only 13 tackles on the year, over half of them were for a loss. Hibbler’s PFF grade of 69.6 this past season ranked 8th on the team. Despite not being named a starter in Week 1, Hibbler will definitely be a significant part of the Wolfpack’s D-Line.

Last season was Hibbler’s first season in Raleigh, after playing his first three seasons in the JUCO ranks.

Potter struggled in his first season at NC State last year, recording a PFF Grade of 50.7, after transferring from Ohio St. He had 2 tackles in 112 snaps, with 2 QB Hurries.

There has been good buzz surrounding Jackson this offseason. He has been described as a good compliment to Cleveland, bringing more quickness and “twitchiness.” Jackson is itching to play football for the first time since his Junior year in High School. He missed his Senior season due to an ACL injury, and didn’t play at NC State in 2022 as he continued to recover from it. The injuries continued last year, with Jackson missing the whole season due to an achilles injury.

Jackson had 20+ tackles for loss his Sophomore and Junior years in High School, and was the #15 player in the state of South Carolina in the 2022 class according to Rivals.

3rd String

Nose Tackle – Senior Chazz Wallace (6’2″/317)

Left Defensive End – Redshirt Freshman Isaiah Shirley (6’3″/276)

Wallace transferred to NC State this offseason from Colorado. Last season under Coach Prime, Wallace had 10 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He played in 10 games, starting in 4. Prior to last season, Wallace played his first three years at Old Dominion.

Considering Wallace’s age and experience, it’s impressive to see Jackson in the 2nd string. Expect Wallace to push him for that spot.

Shirley will play on both sides of the ball again in 2024. He will play Defensive End, but also move over to the other side of the ball as a blocking Tight End when called upon. Coming out of high school, Shirley was the #16 player in the state of North Carolina in the 2023 recruiting class according to 247Sports.

Make sure to check out our other position group previews:

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

Offensive Line