NC State Football
NC State in ALL WHITE for FSU
This Saturday NC State will roll out onto Doak Campbell Stadium in ALL WHITE.
The Wolfpack wore ALL WHITE twice last season, splitting the two games.
In the first game NC State lost a game they shouldn’t have lost to East Carolina 30-33. The Wolfpack piled up 505 yards of offense, but also gave away 445 to the Pirates. Jaylen Samuels had one rushing touchdown. Ryan Finley was superb, connecting on 20 of his 31 passes, for 259 yards and a touchdown. Stephen Louis exloded for 142 yards receiving with a touchdown. Airius Moore had 11 tackles, with 4.5 of those going for a loss. Shawn Boone also had 7 tackles and a forced fumble.
In the second game, the Wolfpack defeated Syracuse 35-20 in the Carrier Dome. Once again, they piled on over 500 total yards of offense (544), but this time they limited their opponent to 218 yards. Ryan Finley must love ALL WHITE, because he was 20 of 29 for 340 yards and a touchdown. Jaylen Samuels had another rushing touchdown, and added on 6 receptions for 66 yards. Kelvin Harmon crossed the century mark, with 101 receiving yards and a touchdown. Bradley Chubb led the way with 8 tackles, with 4.5 of them going for a loss, 2 sacks and a forced fumble. Airius Moore loved ALL WHITE once again, adding 3.5 more tackles for loss.
It’s worth noting that when NC State wore ALL WHITE last year, they weren’t sporting the alternate TUFFY helmet. This will mark the 3rd time the Wolfpack has sported this helmet. They lost the first time they wore it back in 2014 to Boston College, and defeated Furman with it on last week.
Akron Safety Kerry Martin Jr. (6’1″/195) confirmed with me that he will be taking an Official Visit to NC State next week beginning on May 7th.
After receiving an offer from NC State yesterday, it didn’t take him long to set up the visit.
AGTG Blessed to receive an offer from NC State 🤘🏾❤️ #PackPride pic.twitter.com/mIws42lE7L
— Kerry “KJ” Martin Jr. (@_thekerrymartin) May 1, 2024
Martin Jr. is familiar with NC State, because he was recruited by Wolfpack Defensive Coordinator Tony Gibson before he left West Virginia to come to Raleigh. Even though he never coached him, a relationship was established.
Martin Jr.’s connections to NC State are deeper than that. Former NC State Cornerback Derrek Pitts, who is currently a member of the Tampa Bay Bucs, is his cousin.
This past year, Martin Jr. recorded 45 tackles, 2 interceptions and 6 pass breakups for Akron, starting in 9 of the 11 games he played in. His PFF Grade was 68.9.
In 2022, he had 53 tackles, 1 interception and 1 pass breakup, starting in 9 of the 11 games he played in. Martin Jr.’s PFF Grade was 60.9.
In 2019, as a Freshman for West Virginia, Martin Jr. earned PFF Freshman All-American honors, recording a grade of 70.6, with 50 tackles and 3 pass breakups.
In Game film… pic.twitter.com/vunpDgPsBC
— Kerry “KJ” Martin Jr. (@_thekerrymartin) January 16, 2024
247’s Brad Crawford released his Post-Spring 2024 Preseason College Football Top-25 recently, and NC State moved up 1 spot to #20.
ACC Teams in the Top-25
11. FSU
14. Miami
16. Clemson
20. NC State
24. Virginia Tech
25. Louisville
NC State Football
NC State Ranks 8th in Players Selected in the NFL Draft in the ACC in the Last 10 Years
The 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone, and NC State had two players drafted: Linebacker Payton Wilson in the 3rd round, and Center Dylan McMahon in the 6th round.
Over the past 10 years, NC State has produced 25 NFL Draft picks, and 3 1st round picks. The 25 Draft Picks ranks 8th in the ACC, and the 3 1st Round picks is tied for 7th.
NC State produced 18 NFL Draft Picks in the first 5 Draft’s of Dave Doeren’s tenure. Only 8 Wolfpack players have been selected in the past 5 NFL Drafts.
Players selected in the NFL Draft under Dave Doeren:
2024
Payton Wilson, LB – Pittsburgh – 3rd – 98th
Dylan McMahon, C – Philadelphia – 6th – 190th
NC State Cornerback Shyheim Battle has received an invitation from the New York Jets to participate in their Rookie Mini Camp.
NC State’s Shyheim Battle has been invited to rookie mini camp with the Jets with the opportunity to earn a priority free agent contract. #ncstate #NFLDraft #wpn
— Pat Welter WRAL (@PatrickWelter) April 28, 2024
Battle had 1 year of eligibility remaining, but declared for the NFL Draft on January 3rd.
He finished this past year as the most experienced player on the Wolfpack’s defense, starting in 41 of the 51 games he has played in dating back to 2019. In a rarity in this day-and-age, Battle was a 4-year starter at the Cornerback position for NC State. He graduated with a degree in Communications.
In his final season in Red and White, Battle had 46 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 4 pass breakups and 1 fumble recovery. His PFF Grade of 70.6 was the 7th best on the Wolfpack defense.
