After breaking his collarbone against Florida State, an injury that kept him sidelined for the final five games of the season, redshirt senior wide receiver Bryan Underwood is ready to make his comeback for the N.C. State football team.
In the games before his season-ending injury, Underwood led his team in receiving yards and still managed to finish in the top three at the season’s end with 382 yards. Against Wake Forest, Underwood snagged a personal-best of 11 receptions. The University Heights, Ohio native also hauled in the 13th touchdown catch of his career against Central Michigan, tying him for 10th-most in State history.
On Mar. 5, the Wolfpack began its spring practices. Having taken the necessary three months to fully recover from a clavicle fracture, Underwood has participated in full-contact drills during the three practices the team has had so far.
Underwood said he feels he is on track to be back in full next season.
“It’s been kind of a slow start,” Underwood said. “But it feels good to get back out here with the guys and get back into the swing of things. After I get that whole stage out of the way, I’m pretty sure I’ll be ready to go.”
During practice, Underwood is under the direction of offensive coordinator Matt Canada and wide-receiver coach Frisman Jackson, both in their second years with State. Underwood said that Canada and Jackson have helped the squad by letting the players know what they needed to do before spring workouts began.
“They knew exactly what routes they wanted us to run and what plays they wanted certain guys to run,” Underwood said. “They came back in the winter workouts and let us know what we had to work on. It all benefited us because it was all stuff that we knew we could do.”
Former Wolfpack quarterback Pete Thomas and Underwood developed strong chemistry during the 2013; Underwood caught at least four passes in games that Thomas started. However, the Pack will be undergoing a change under center, as redshirt junior quarterback Jacoby Brissett, a transfer from Florida, will be the starter for State in 2014.
Underwood said that the quarterback change will not affect his play, as he has become familiar with Brissett’s playing style.
“[Brissett is] a great leader with a great arm and good precision,” Underwood said. “He came out wanting to throw every Saturday before spring ball got here, and we all got on the same page before camp. We’ve been ready to go since camp started.”
Brissett is not the only beneficial addition to the 2014 team, according to Underwood, as the receiver said that he has seen great things from his team in the squad’s practice sessions.
“Compared to last year, we look completely different,” Underwood said. “We’re all more conditioned, and we all know the plays now that we’ve had a year with [head coach Dave Doeren’s] system. We know what we can and can’t do. The coaches know what our strengths and weaknesses are. As a collective team, we all look really good.”
On and off the field, Underwood acts as a mentor to younger receivers, giving them tips on how to succeed at the college level. Underwood said one of his main points of emphasis was on the little parts of practice.
“You can’t dwell on the small things,” Underwood said. “If you drop a pass, you can’t let it beat you up for the rest of the day. I tell them just keep going, keep pushing forward, focus in the meetings and come ready to go for the day.”
Looking forward to next season, Underwood said that his goal from both a team and individual standpoint was to be “better than last year.”
“Obviously the record that we had [in 2013] was not good enough,” Underwood said. “We need to do more as a receiving unit to get more plays for the offense and succeed for the team.”
