This spring may seem a little different for NC State defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Dave Huxtable. The past couple of springs did not necessarily feature a lot of position battles.
Last year’s defense started eight seniors most of the year, almost all of who started at least two seasons. The battle to replace those eight players officially began this spring.
Huxtable, though, is not recharging his batteries to prepare for the rebuild of the defense. Rather, he is attacking the process with energy.
“This is when you get excited,” Huxtable said. “You have an opportunity to take a young guy and develop him and teach him. To me that’s the exciting part of coaching. Coaching is teaching, and with the number of younger players that we have we got to be at our best as coaches every day and be motivated to do our job at the highest level, so we can do that.
“There are times it gets hard and difficult because mistakes are made, and I’m the worst one with patience. I got to, as my wife tells me, take three deep breaths.”
Does that work for Huxtable?
“Sometimes, not all times,” he said.
Nevertheless, Huxtable complimented the “winning hearts” he has seen from the defense, and he is especially proud of his assistant coaches.
“They’ve worked very hard,” Huxtable said of the collective effort on defense. “We have a long ways to go to finish the spring into summer and into fall camp.”
The attrition on the defensive line gathers most of the headlines. Bradley Chubb, B.J. Hill, Justin Jones and Kentavius Street are working hard to begin their NFL careers as draft picks while their former teammates are practicing at NC State.
Huxtable noted that seniors Darian Roseboro and Eurndraus Bryant, the latter missing spring practice with an injury, have plenty of experience to step into the lineup. Redshirt sophomore Shug Frazier and redshirt junior James Smith-Williams join them in the initial front four.
“Those four guys should give us a solid performance,” Huxtable said. “Now we’ve got to fill in the depth behind.”
Two names on the interior of the line behind Frazier and Bryant that have given Huxtable hope are redshirt junior Larrell Murchison and redshirt freshman Grant Gibson.
“[Murchison]’s really come on,” Huxtable said. “He’s just scrappy. He’s a fighter. I think he really loves football, and he’s learned. Coach [Kevin] Patrick has done a great job with him.
“Grant Gibson has taken a load of reps this spring, and boy have those been valuable for him.”
At linebacker, four-year starters Jerod Fernandez and Airius Moore are gone, but fifth-year senior Germaine Pratt should more-than-ably fill in one of the spots.
“He’s been outstanding mentoring these young linebackers and being a great leader, and they look up to him,” Huxtable added. “They have tremendous respect for Germaine. [Sophomore] Louis Acceus and [redshirt freshman] Isaiah Moore and [sophomore] Raven Saunders, it’s learning for them but I really think they all have a chance to be really good players.
“[Redshirt sophomore] Brock Miller is not going through spring practice, but we know Brock is a good player, and [freshman] Payton Wilson is not participating this spring but we get him back this summer. There’s going to be a lot of depth there. It’s going to be a very competitive fall camp.”
Practically every principal figure at the safety position is back from last year’s team, and Huxtable appreciates how well they have taken to their new position coach in Ted Roof. Shawn Boone is gone after starting at safety and nickel the past two seasons, but Huxtable feels like they have found his replacement in redshirt junior Stephen Griffin, a transfer from Tennessee.
“I’ve been really impressed with him and how well he’s picked up the system,” Huxtable noted. “Coach [Aaron] Henry has done a tremendous job with him.”
The biggest question mark in the secondary is at corner, where junior Nick McCloud has been a part-time starter the past two seasons and returns on one side, but the opposite corner is a wide-open battle.
“We’re still getting a lot of looks at guys — [sophomore Chris] Ingram and [fifth-year senior Maurice] Trowell and [redshirt junior] Vernon Grier — all good football players, but they haven’t played a lot, so they’re still learning the game and learning the system some,” Huxtable explained.
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