Things keep changing in the world due to COVID-19, and football is no exception. NC State’s season opener is now 23 days away: hosting Wake Forest Sept. 19. Let’s ignore the fact that NC State is sending students home due to over 20 COVID-19 clusters in and around campus—including one associated with NC State Athletics—and take a look at the defense:
Defensive Line – Low
NC State has a great defensive lineman pedigree, but that doesn’t mean the position group gets top marks without a reason to back it up. Last year’s defensive line was solid given the team ranked in the top 25 in tackles for loss and in the top 20 in the country for sacks. But with impact players Larrell Murchison and James Smith-Williams gone to the NFL, it remains to be seen who will step up alongside junior defensive tackle Alim McNeill.
The Wolfpack has a trio of young former four-stars with at least a year of development: redshirt freshman defensive tackles C.J. Clark and Joshua Harris, and sophomore defensive end Savion Jackson. All three got various amounts of playing time last year but were low on the depth chart. Older contributors, like redshirt junior defensive end Ibrahim Kante and redshirt senior defensive tackle Val Martin, aren’t stars, but they added valued experience, and they return for this season. Penn State graduate transfer Daniel Joseph is the wild card of the position group; it remains to be seen if he can carve out a starting role as one of the ends.
Linebackers – High
If there was one position group that wowed last year, offensively or defensively, it was the linebacking corps. Redshirt sophomore Payton Wilson led the team in tackles in his first year of real action, senior Louis Acceus had the third-most sacks on the team and the group proved it went six deep. The Wolfpack returns all key contributors, and even adds USC transfer Vi Jones, who stood out last year, earning defensive and special teams scout team player of the year honors. The question isn’t whether this group will deliver again this year, it’s who will crack the starting lineup with so many high-caliber players.
Secondary – Medium
NC State’s secondary was decimated by injury last season with its top four corners — Chris Ingram, Nick McCloud, Taiyon Palmer and Teshaun Smith — all being lost to season-ending lower-body injuries. McCloud transferred to Notre Dame, and while the other three return and should be penciled in as contributors, there’s no way of knowing if they’ll be the same after these injuries.
At safety, losing De’Von Graves after Jarius Morehead exhausted his eligibility was a huge blow to NC State’s depth at strong safety, but the other two positions are pretty strong. Tanner Ingle was nothing but solid at free safety last year, with four pass breakups and the second-most tackles on the team, and Tyler Baker-Williams emerged at nickel. All in all, the secondary’s productivity will likely depend on the health of its cornerbacks.
Punter – High
In his first year as a starter, redshirt junior Trenton Gill set a single-season school record, with an average of 47.6 yards per punt. That mark was also good for third-best in the nation, and good enough for Gill to receive second-team preseason All-American honors from the Walter Camp Foundation. Gill is good. Very good.
Coaching Staff – Low
2020’s defensive staff looks nothing like the 2019 edition. Tony Gibson, the lone holdover, is now defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Charley Wiles and Brian Mitchell join the staff from Virginia Tech as defensive line and cornerbacks coach, respectively. Former player Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay joins the staff as nickels coach, and Joe DeForest joins as safeties coach. On paper, all four new hires look solid but it remains to be seen how the staff will gel as a whole.
