2/21/2020 football Edit

Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay glad to be back home at NC State

Matt Carter • TheWolfpackCentral

Editor

From 2001-04, Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay was a linebacker at NC State, good enough to play a couple of seasons professionally in arena football. He made 266 tackles in a Wolfpack uniform, including a career-best 105 as a junior.

Following his playing days, Aughtry-Lindsay always kept close tabs on the program. He consistently kept in touch with former teammates, made new connections with past players through alumni events and observed up close as he climbed the coaching ladder with stops at nearby schools like Elon (2012-13), Campbell (2015-17) and North Carolina Central (2019).

It was not uncommon to see Aughtry-Lindsay working or scouting a summer camp at NC State while he was an assistant at those schools. Through that, Aughtry-Lindsay realized why having a chance to come back to his alma mater would be a dream come true.

“I’ve watched Coach [Dave] Doeren and see how he’s developed his program,” Aughtry-Lindsay said. “It’s always been a place I wanted to be not just because I played here, but I also I believe in the type of person that he is.”

Thus when Aughtry-Lindsay was offered the job in January to coach nickels at NC State, he wasted little time in accepting the position.

“It’s kind of full circle,” he noted. “The thing is when you play here and you leave and you have the ability to come back and get to a place that gave you so much, you just want to pour yourself into it. I have an opportunity to do that.

“It’s a blessing. God has given me this platform to be able to do that, and I’m excited about it.”

Freddie Aughtry coaches nickels for NC State Wolfpack football. — Aughtry-Lindsay's lost stop was as defensive coordinator at North Carolina Central. (Jacey Zembal/The Wolfpacker)

Aughtry-Lindsay feels that having someone with relatable experiences at NC State will help current players. He also preaches a mantra of “progress over pride,” stressing the team aspect of football.

“How can I get rid of what’s more important for me to what’s more important for us,” Aughtry-Lindsay explained.

Coaching is a passion for Aughtry-Lindsay.

“The reason why I do what I do is because I want to grow and develop young men in this profession,” Aughtry-Lindsay added. “I want to help unlock young men’s greatness that I see in them that they may not be able to see.”

Aughtry-Lindsay inherits a position group with just two scholarship players — junior Tyler Baker-Williams and redshirt freshman Jalen Frazier. Baker-Williams started three games and played in all 12 as a sophomore, registering 39 tackles, including 2.5 for loss and assisting on a sack. He also broke up three passes.

“The guys that we have in our room right now, I feel like are capable and have the mental capacity and physical abilities to do everything we need them to do,” Aughtry-Lindsay said. “It’s my job to make sure they are in the right place. We have the ability there.
"We have Tyler Baker-Williams that has obviously played a little bit and knows a little bit about that position. We feel like he’s got some upside."

On the recruiting trail, Aughtry-Lindsay, who is from High Point, N.C., will return to his hometown area and help recruit the Triad and Northwest North Carolina. He will also work the Tidewater region of Virginia and “DMV,” which is D.C., Maryland and northern Virginia.

After years of recruiting primarily at the Football Championship Subdivision, Aughtry-Lindsay is looking forward to targeting Power Five level talent.

“I think you still look for the same things, the only thing that is different is the size of the kid and the speed of the kid,” he explained.