EL PASO, Texas — It’s been the question tossed around everyone’s mouths this week — will NC State star defensive end Bradley Chubb play in his final game in the Sun Bowl against Arizona State at 3 p.m. Friday?
NCSU head coach Dave Doeren has kept the final answer under wraps, but doesn’t call it a game-time decision.
On day one in El Paso, when asked whether or not Chubb would play, Doeren simply said, “he’s here but that’s all I’m going to say about it.”
Chubb was in a T-shirt and shorts Tuesday, running speed drills on the sideline, while the rest of his team endured its first practice in Texas.
It didn’t look any different on the second day of practice Wednesday as Chubb, again, was not in pads and running workouts on the sideline, away from the team.
“No, he’s not (a game-time decision), but we’re not gonna talk about it,” Doeren said. “It’s not strategy. Want the focus on the team, not him. He didn’t want it to be on something it shouldn’t be.”
The Marietta, Ga., native is projected to be a top-10 pick in the upcoming 2018 NFL Draft, which would likely be the reason he wouldn’t play.
Some NFL Draft analysts even speculate that if Cleveland gets a quarterback during free agency frenzy in the off-season, the Browns could take Chubb at No. 1.
“A lot of people don’t see how hard he works,” said NC State redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Finley. “The amount of dedication and preparation he puts into the game, taking care of his body, truly a professional at this point in his life. One of the best players I’ve shared the field with.”
At 275 pounds he possesses a distinct ability as a pass rusher and putting pressure on the quarterback. He was named first-team All-ACC selection after coming off an outstanding senior season, leading the FBS regular season with 26.0 tackles for losses and finished with 10.0 sacks.
His talent on the field wasn’t produced overnight, however.
“For Bradley, he went from linebacker to defensive end his freshman year and bought into the process of gaining weight,” Doeren said. “He’s really worked himself into becoming one of the best players I’ve coached. He’s always been a good football player, played hard. He’s just matured. He’s gone from 235 to 275, put a lot of time into the weight room, meeting room, his fundamentals and working on his craft. That’s what happens in college football, if you put a lot of work in, you get a lot back.”
Instead of simply standing around the sideline during the Wolfpack’s practice on Tuesday and Wednesday, Chubb was seen doing intense speed drills, one-on-one with coaches. Even if he doesn’t play on Friday, he has been getting a noble workout each day at practice.
“He believes in that suffering in silence. You know when everyone’s out of the gym, he’s still in the gym he’s still working,” said NC State defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable. “Everybody’s out of the weight room and he’s still in the weight room working, the indoor practice facility he’s just always working and making himself better.
“Our strength staff did a tremendous job with Bradley once we moved him from outside linebacker to defensive end. He embraced that move and worked very hard in his nutrition and in the weight room to get bigger and stronger and he’s just been an unbelievable person and player for us. His passion for the game, the love that he has for the game and wanting to be good and wanting to be the best, he’s taken a lot of pride in that.”
If Chubb were to skip out on this year’s Sun Bowl, he would follow in the footsteps of Stanford’s former tailback Christian McCaffrey, who did not play in the Sun Bowl last year against North Carolina in order to focus on the draft.
McCaffrey became the eighth overall pick to the Carolina Panthers and the second running back drafted out of college.
Still preparing for Chubb’s seemingly unlikely appearance in the Sun Bowl, Arizona State head coach Todd Graham commends Chubb’s talent and the impact he would bring against his offense.
“You’re going to have to chip, you’re going to have to cover him down, what I mean by that is you need to put a tight end over him where you can chip on the way out,” said Graham, who will be calling the plays on Friday for the Sun Devils. “You’re going to have to help with him. He’s as good as there is in the country.”
With Chubb out, Doeren said that they would likely fill his spot on the line with junior defensive end Darian Roseboro.
Roseboro, the 6-4, 287-pound junior, recently turned down the NFL Draft. He had seven sacks and 11 tackles for losses last year, but fell off to 2.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss this season while dealing with the death of his father mid-season.
“We have great depth at the defensive line,” Doeren said. “Excited for him (Roseboro) if he gets the opportunity.”
It seems that the team already knows the answer and ultimately is fine with Chubb’s decision.
“We’re a close knit group,” NC State fifth-year senior middle linebacker Jerod Fernandez. “With Chubb out there we’re a close knit and without Chubb we’re close knit. That’s something we pride ourselves on. We have a brotherhood and we’ve been playing with each other since we were freshmen, so we have that tight knit bond.”
But no one will know for sure until 3 p.m. Friday afternoon in the Sun Bowl when NC State takes the field against Arizona State.
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