With the season opener having come and gone, a few quick observations:
• In some ways South Florida is the ideal opponent to open up with. They have some talent, but it’s a rare FBS game that felt a lot like playing an FCS team, only with more speed probably than an FCS squad could offer. There was a lot of quiet confidence around Raleigh this week that NC State should be able to take care of business, but the only question marks were the unknowns as USF head coach Jeff Scott was playing some mind games with his roster (depth chart, jersey numbers, etc.).
• One area to watch going forward is the production of the offensive line on the left side vs. the right side. We’ll have some more numbers later to diagram this, but there was a wide gap between running success around the left side, especially off tackle, vs. trying to run to the right side.
Figuring out the right side of the offensive line along with the consistency that they can get from redshirt sophomore quarterback Devin Leary were the two top question marks on offense we had been hearing going into the opener.
• Everyone in camp seemed to rave about how well sophomore linebacker Drake Thomas was moving after dropping double-digit pounds in the offseason, and fans got to see that Thursday night. His development is key as it prevents teams from simply trying to run away from star linebacker Payton Wilson.
• When comparing this team to the 2017 squad, universally recognized as head coach Dave Doeren’s best team to date, the feeling from those who were around both rosters was that 2017 was more top-heavy with NFL talent, with four players who were pro starters last season, but this team has far more depth and perhaps less glaring weaknesses than the 2017 team. That squad, for instance, was plagued by a secondary that was exposed when the front six could not win the battle at the line.
That was evident Thursday. On defense, it will not likely stay that way throughout the season as key players like junior safety Tanner Ingle and junior nickel Tyler Baker-Williams will start logging nearly if not all the snaps In the key games, but there is a higher level of comfort with the depth than perhaps we have ever seen for a Doeren team, leading to an extensive rotation at a lot of positions.
•••
The big news in football recruiting comes, potentially, on Sept. 7 (Tuesday) when three-star receiver Wesley Grimes from Millbrook High in Raleigh will announce his decision. Although he made official visits to both Duke and Louisville (and from the sounds of it, according to sources, had a good time on the Louisville trip in particular), this has been shaping up as a Wake Forest-NC State battle for the past month-plus.
The conventional wisdom in recruiting circles has been, for the past few weeks, that Wake Forest was in a commanding position, and indeed we’ve had sources including some close to Grimes that echoed that sentiment as recently as this week.
However, we have also long contended that it may not be as locked in as some have speculated. And after showing up last night for NC State’s home opener against South Florida, it may have helped the Wolfpack’s cause. Class of 2023 quarterback commit Lex Thomas is Grimes’ friend and has been leading the case for the Wolfpack in recent weeks.
Why would Grimes pick the Demon Deacons? We’ve had a few people ask. The best we can tell is that it might be a combination of the academic reputation of Grimes, which we understand is really important to his parents, and the fact that it represents an opportunity to branch out of Raleigh without being too far away from home (Winston-Salem is about a 2-hour drive).
If Grimes does pick Wake Forest, we continue to contend that the name to watch at receiver for NC State is Terrell Timmons from Greensboro (N.C.) Northern Guilford. Although not heavily recruited, Timmons caught NC State’s eyes with his performance at their summer camp. He checked in at 6-foot-1, 170 pounds and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds. He also had a 9-foot-6 standing broad jump and did a 32.9-inch vertical leap.
Last year, Timmons caught 44 passes for 594 yards and seven touchdowns in seven games. In his first two contests this year, Timmons has grabbed seven receptions for 108 yards and two scores.
•••
The only other known decision coming in September from a Wolfpack target is three-star offensive tackle Andre Roye from Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances Academy. The massive Roye (6-foot-6, 320 pounds) is down to NC State, Maryland, Penn State and Rutgers.
We’ve have long heard that Maryland and Penn State were the frontrunners, with the main question surrounding how much room the Nittany Lions might have for Roye in its class. The latest indications this week are that Penn State would accept a commitment from Roye, which is why they have recently become a trendy choice.
•••
Coaches are allowed to go on the road this week for the first time since pre-COVID. The Pack will have a few assistant coaches at high school games Friday night but mainly focused on current commits.
One exception will be offensive line coach John Garrison headed out to see Belmont (N.C.) South Point High offensive tackle Sullivan Absher, who was offered by NC State at its Alpha Wolf Showcase in July. Few offensive tackles will look the part like Absher, who stands a legit 6-foot-6, at least, and is a lean 285 pounds. NC State seems to be making Absher an early priority in the 2023 recruiting class based on the feedback they have picked up from him.
It should be worth noting that the team South Point is playing is Harrisburg (N.C.) Hickory Ridge High, which features four-star class of 2023 wideout Christian Hamilton, who also has an offer from the Wolfpack.
• In some ways South Florida is the ideal opponent to open up with. They have some talent, but it’s a rare FBS game that felt a lot like playing an FCS team, only with more speed probably than an FCS squad could offer. There was a lot of quiet confidence around Raleigh this week that NC State should be able to take care of business, but the only question marks were the unknowns as USF head coach Jeff Scott was playing some mind games with his roster (depth chart, jersey numbers, etc.).
• One area to watch going forward is the production of the offensive line on the left side vs. the right side. We’ll have some more numbers later to diagram this, but there was a wide gap between running success around the left side, especially off tackle, vs. trying to run to the right side.
Figuring out the right side of the offensive line along with the consistency that they can get from redshirt sophomore quarterback Devin Leary were the two top question marks on offense we had been hearing going into the opener.
• Everyone in camp seemed to rave about how well sophomore linebacker Drake Thomas was moving after dropping double-digit pounds in the offseason, and fans got to see that Thursday night. His development is key as it prevents teams from simply trying to run away from star linebacker Payton Wilson.
• When comparing this team to the 2017 squad, universally recognized as head coach Dave Doeren’s best team to date, the feeling from those who were around both rosters was that 2017 was more top-heavy with NFL talent, with four players who were pro starters last season, but this team has far more depth and perhaps less glaring weaknesses than the 2017 team. That squad, for instance, was plagued by a secondary that was exposed when the front six could not win the battle at the line.
That was evident Thursday. On defense, it will not likely stay that way throughout the season as key players like junior safety Tanner Ingle and junior nickel Tyler Baker-Williams will start logging nearly if not all the snaps In the key games, but there is a higher level of comfort with the depth than perhaps we have ever seen for a Doeren team, leading to an extensive rotation at a lot of positions.
•••
The big news in football recruiting comes, potentially, on Sept. 7 (Tuesday) when three-star receiver Wesley Grimes from Millbrook High in Raleigh will announce his decision. Although he made official visits to both Duke and Louisville (and from the sounds of it, according to sources, had a good time on the Louisville trip in particular), this has been shaping up as a Wake Forest-NC State battle for the past month-plus.
The conventional wisdom in recruiting circles has been, for the past few weeks, that Wake Forest was in a commanding position, and indeed we’ve had sources including some close to Grimes that echoed that sentiment as recently as this week.
However, we have also long contended that it may not be as locked in as some have speculated. And after showing up last night for NC State’s home opener against South Florida, it may have helped the Wolfpack’s cause. Class of 2023 quarterback commit Lex Thomas is Grimes’ friend and has been leading the case for the Wolfpack in recent weeks.
Why would Grimes pick the Demon Deacons? We’ve had a few people ask. The best we can tell is that it might be a combination of the academic reputation of Grimes, which we understand is really important to his parents, and the fact that it represents an opportunity to branch out of Raleigh without being too far away from home (Winston-Salem is about a 2-hour drive).
If Grimes does pick Wake Forest, we continue to contend that the name to watch at receiver for NC State is Terrell Timmons from Greensboro (N.C.) Northern Guilford. Although not heavily recruited, Timmons caught NC State’s eyes with his performance at their summer camp. He checked in at 6-foot-1, 170 pounds and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds. He also had a 9-foot-6 standing broad jump and did a 32.9-inch vertical leap.
Last year, Timmons caught 44 passes for 594 yards and seven touchdowns in seven games. In his first two contests this year, Timmons has grabbed seven receptions for 108 yards and two scores.
•••
The only other known decision coming in September from a Wolfpack target is three-star offensive tackle Andre Roye from Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances Academy. The massive Roye (6-foot-6, 320 pounds) is down to NC State, Maryland, Penn State and Rutgers.
We’ve have long heard that Maryland and Penn State were the frontrunners, with the main question surrounding how much room the Nittany Lions might have for Roye in its class. The latest indications this week are that Penn State would accept a commitment from Roye, which is why they have recently become a trendy choice.
•••
Coaches are allowed to go on the road this week for the first time since pre-COVID. The Pack will have a few assistant coaches at high school games Friday night but mainly focused on current commits.
One exception will be offensive line coach John Garrison headed out to see Belmont (N.C.) South Point High offensive tackle Sullivan Absher, who was offered by NC State at its Alpha Wolf Showcase in July. Few offensive tackles will look the part like Absher, who stands a legit 6-foot-6, at least, and is a lean 285 pounds. NC State seems to be making Absher an early priority in the 2023 recruiting class based on the feedback they have picked up from him.
It should be worth noting that the team South Point is playing is Harrisburg (N.C.) Hickory Ridge High, which features four-star class of 2023 wideout Christian Hamilton, who also has an offer from the Wolfpack.
