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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.

 

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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

Does the Addition of the UVA Series Equal the Elimination of NC State’s Series with App St.?

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2 days ago

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May 17, 2024

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Earlier this week it was announced that NC State and Virginia would play one another in a home-and-home series, with the Wolfpack hosting in 2025, and the Cavaliers hosting in 2026.

Prior to the announcement, NC State already had their non-conference slate booked for both of those seasons.

As a result of the addition of the Virginia series, a previously scheduled non-conference game from each season would need to be dropped. While it hasn’t been officially announced by the school, Joe Giglio and David Glenn seem to think that the series with Appalachian State is going to be dropped.

It would make the most sense, considering the Mountaineers were the only opponent the Wolfpack was scheduled to play in both 2025 and 2026. It would also make sense, considering the fact that ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips isn’t a fan of ACC teams playing Group of 5 schools on the road.

I will tell you this much. The Mountaineer faithful certainly believe NC State is dropping the series with App State, and it just takes a little scrolling on X (formerly Twitter) to get a read on their feelings on the situation.

This situation brings to mind the bill that has been proposed in the North Carolina House of Representatives that would force NC State and UNC to play App St., ECU and UNC Charlotte in Football, Men’s Basketball and Women’s Basketball.

If the addition of UVA means the elimination of App St. on NC State’s schedule, what are your thoughts? Share in the comments.

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NC State Football

CBS Sports Ranks Dave Doeren as 1 of the Top-20 Coaches in College Football

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3 days ago

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May 16, 2024

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CBS Sports released their Top-25 Power 4 Coaches in College Football, and NC State’s Dave Doeren came in at #16. Heading into last season, he went into the season ranked #25.

16) Dave Doeren: The NC State coach finally gets some overdue credit. He’s always hovered around the bottom of our top 25 or just outside it, and now he finds himself firmly entrenched in it thanks to all the changes at the top. Coaches who take mid-tier programs and overachieve never get enough credit, in my estimation, and the consistency Doeren has established at NC State — where he spent most of his time in a division with Clemson and Florida State — is one of the most impressive things any coach in the country has done. I’m glad to see Doeren getting closer to the top 15. 2023 rank: 25 (+9) (CBS Sports)

Numerous CBS Sports’ analysts voted in the poll, and Tom Fornelli actually ranked Doeren #8.

ACC Coaches that made the Top-25

3. Dabo Swinney (Clemson)

8. Mike Norvell (FSU)

16. Dave Doeren (NC State)

19. Jeff Brohm (Louisville)

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NC State Football

NC State vs. Tennessee Kickoff Time & TV Network Revealed

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4 days ago

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May 15, 2024

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Kickoff time and TV Channel details have been revealed for NC State and Tennessee’s game in the Duke Mayo Classic in Week 2 of next season.

The game will be a primetime game on Saturday 7th, at 7:30pm on ABC.

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This game has the makings to be a Top-25 matchup.

Here’s a look at some of the Way-Too-Early Preseason rankings for the Wolfpack and the Volunteers:

Action Network: NC State #24/Tennessee #17

ON3: NC State #22/Tennessee #15

247: NC State #21/Tennessee #11

ESPN: NC State #17/Tennessee #15

DraftKings released their way-too-early odds for the game, and Tennessee is currently a 5.5-point favorite.

Here’s the deal, as NC State fans, if we want to be a big time Football program, NC State fans need to gobble up tickets to this game. Let’s do our part and make sure that Bank of America Stadium is painted RED. Buy Tickets HERE.

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NC State Football

NC State and UVA Agree to Home-and-Home Non-Conference Games

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4 days ago

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May 15, 2024

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NC State announced this morning that the Wolfpack and UVA will play in a home-and-home non-conference series, with the game in 2025 being in Raleigh, and the game in 2026 being in Charlottesville.

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To reiterate, despite the fact that both teams are in the ACC, these games are considered non-conference games, and won’t count toward conference records. This is similar to what UNC and Wake Forest did a few years back.

Here’s what’s interesting about the addition of these games in 2025 and 2026. Prior to the announcement, NC State already had 4 non-conference games scheduled for both years.

It would be my assumption that one of the previously scheduled non-conference games for each season will not take place now.

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