Some updated expectations for how the depth chart might play out for the season opener against East Carolina Aug. 31.
• As we noted in the thread about the preseason depth chart on offense, our best educated guess on the offensive line is now that redshirt sophomore Bryson Speas will end up starting at left guard and redshirt junior Joe Sculthorpe taking the center spot. We still think redshirt sophomore Grant Gibson will factor into the mix at center.
We also think that at a minimum freshmen Ikem Ekwonu and Timothy McKay could take advantage of the four-game rule (freshmen are allowed to play four games and maintain their redshirts). And it’s possible that Dylan McMahon will have that chance, too.
• Like we have detailed in our premium message board chat this week, our best guess is that the starter at quarterback will be either redshirt sophomores Matt McKay and Bailey Hockman. We have reasons to suspect that whatever plans NC State has made for the quarterback situation is known to those involved, but we continue to doubt that any announcements will come until a week from Saturday when NCSU gets ready for opening kickoff.
We went with McKay in our picks to start in the roundtable, but we should be forthcoming and acknowledge that is not a high confidence projection. Three years ago, when Ryan Finley transferred into NC State, many around the program assumed Finley was coming to be an added voice in the room to help Eli Drinkwitz teach the offense to likely starter Jalan McClendon.
It was not until the last couple of weeks before the opener did the behind the scenes chatter become increasingly louder that Finley could very well be the starter at NC State.
Going back into the archives of our War Rooms, we wrote this on Aug. 19, 2016:
“We now have had a couple of folks make bold predictions that redshirt junior Ryan Finley will start, which goes to show you that this competition is no foregone conclusion. We honestly could not tell you one way or the other which way it’s going to be other than to say that Finley and redshirt sophomore Jalan McClendon are probably ahead of redshirt freshman Jakobi Meyers due to the time Meyers missed. However, Meyers is athletic and even if he does not start, we suspect he will get reps on the field in some capacity.”
The following Monday at his opening game-week press conference, Dave Doeren said that neither quarterback had separated themselves, confirming what we were reporting that it was close despite an assumption all along from others that McClendon was going to be the man. (And a few days after that War Room, the word got out the Meyers had been moved to receiver.)
We have to confess that there is some similarity with late chatter going for Hockman in this year’s race.
• There has been chatter about NC State using multiple defense this year with a 3-3-5 mixed in. That would make some sense given that is new safeties coach/co-defensive coordinator Tony Gibson’s background. However another possible reason is it can help NC State utilize its strength in numbers and talent at linebacker while also protecting its depth on the defensive line.
• One under-the-radar position battle that will be curious to see how it turns out: punter. Many probably assumed that redshirt sophomore Mackenzie Morgan would get the job, but walk-on redshirt sophomore Trenton Gill is making it interesting, according to both sources plus head coach Dave Doeren’s own comments at media day.
Gill is expected to handle kickoffs.
***
The Wolfpacker made it to Charlotte last night planning to watch the double-header of Sun Valley vs. Charlotte Christian and more importantly Hough vs. Butler. Unfortunately, a nasty thunderstorm delayed the start of the first game and then right on cue between games another storm arrived.
We left for home before Hough and Butler started, and that game wasn’t finished last night (ran into the midnight curfew).
Sun Valley features a pair of really promising juniors in receiver Gavin Blackwell and Michael Gonzalez. We were able to talk to both after they were defeated fairly handedly by Christian and posted a story this morning about Gonzalez this morning.
Blackwell, who was wearing a LSU hat following the contest, made it clear without explicitly saying it that LSU, North Carolina and Ohio State are his top three. With his good friend and former teammate Sam Howell winning the starting job at UNC, it makes it very unlikely that the Pack will get into the picture for the Rivals100 four-star wideout.
In our blunt assessment, after watching him play last night that rating might be overrating him. He’s a nice player, but his frame projects as a slot receiver and he did not look explosive enough to be the type you would expect from a player in the Rivals100.
Gonzalez moves very well for a player his size and is an intriguing prospect on the offensive line. He’s one of five-plus in-state linemen that have a chance to be signing with a Power Five school in the 2021 class.
• As we noted in the thread about the preseason depth chart on offense, our best educated guess on the offensive line is now that redshirt sophomore Bryson Speas will end up starting at left guard and redshirt junior Joe Sculthorpe taking the center spot. We still think redshirt sophomore Grant Gibson will factor into the mix at center.
We also think that at a minimum freshmen Ikem Ekwonu and Timothy McKay could take advantage of the four-game rule (freshmen are allowed to play four games and maintain their redshirts). And it’s possible that Dylan McMahon will have that chance, too.
• Like we have detailed in our premium message board chat this week, our best guess is that the starter at quarterback will be either redshirt sophomores Matt McKay and Bailey Hockman. We have reasons to suspect that whatever plans NC State has made for the quarterback situation is known to those involved, but we continue to doubt that any announcements will come until a week from Saturday when NCSU gets ready for opening kickoff.
We went with McKay in our picks to start in the roundtable, but we should be forthcoming and acknowledge that is not a high confidence projection. Three years ago, when Ryan Finley transferred into NC State, many around the program assumed Finley was coming to be an added voice in the room to help Eli Drinkwitz teach the offense to likely starter Jalan McClendon.
It was not until the last couple of weeks before the opener did the behind the scenes chatter become increasingly louder that Finley could very well be the starter at NC State.
Going back into the archives of our War Rooms, we wrote this on Aug. 19, 2016:
“We now have had a couple of folks make bold predictions that redshirt junior Ryan Finley will start, which goes to show you that this competition is no foregone conclusion. We honestly could not tell you one way or the other which way it’s going to be other than to say that Finley and redshirt sophomore Jalan McClendon are probably ahead of redshirt freshman Jakobi Meyers due to the time Meyers missed. However, Meyers is athletic and even if he does not start, we suspect he will get reps on the field in some capacity.”
The following Monday at his opening game-week press conference, Dave Doeren said that neither quarterback had separated themselves, confirming what we were reporting that it was close despite an assumption all along from others that McClendon was going to be the man. (And a few days after that War Room, the word got out the Meyers had been moved to receiver.)
We have to confess that there is some similarity with late chatter going for Hockman in this year’s race.
• There has been chatter about NC State using multiple defense this year with a 3-3-5 mixed in. That would make some sense given that is new safeties coach/co-defensive coordinator Tony Gibson’s background. However another possible reason is it can help NC State utilize its strength in numbers and talent at linebacker while also protecting its depth on the defensive line.
• One under-the-radar position battle that will be curious to see how it turns out: punter. Many probably assumed that redshirt sophomore Mackenzie Morgan would get the job, but walk-on redshirt sophomore Trenton Gill is making it interesting, according to both sources plus head coach Dave Doeren’s own comments at media day.
Gill is expected to handle kickoffs.
***
The Wolfpacker made it to Charlotte last night planning to watch the double-header of Sun Valley vs. Charlotte Christian and more importantly Hough vs. Butler. Unfortunately, a nasty thunderstorm delayed the start of the first game and then right on cue between games another storm arrived.
We left for home before Hough and Butler started, and that game wasn’t finished last night (ran into the midnight curfew).
Sun Valley features a pair of really promising juniors in receiver Gavin Blackwell and Michael Gonzalez. We were able to talk to both after they were defeated fairly handedly by Christian and posted a story this morning about Gonzalez this morning.
Blackwell, who was wearing a LSU hat following the contest, made it clear without explicitly saying it that LSU, North Carolina and Ohio State are his top three. With his good friend and former teammate Sam Howell winning the starting job at UNC, it makes it very unlikely that the Pack will get into the picture for the Rivals100 four-star wideout.
In our blunt assessment, after watching him play last night that rating might be overrating him. He’s a nice player, but his frame projects as a slot receiver and he did not look explosive enough to be the type you would expect from a player in the Rivals100.
Gonzalez moves very well for a player his size and is an intriguing prospect on the offensive line. He’s one of five-plus in-state linemen that have a chance to be signing with a Power Five school in the 2021 class.
