Everywhere NC State coach Dave Doeren looked, he probably saw experienced talent back on the field Wednesday for the Wolfpack’s first practice of fall camp.
NC State will use the month of August to get ready to play at East Carolina on Sept. 3, and are pretty much healthy and deep at the majority of the position groups.
The deeper and older squad has led to heightened expectations that this is the year for NC State football to break through. The Wolfpack were picked second in the Atlantic Division in the ACC behind Clemson, and quarterback Devin Leary was named the preseason ACC player of the year.
“It’s fun to be back out there,” Doeren said. “It makes your heart feel good being on the field. It was special seeing some of our [injured] players back out there Payton [Wilson], C.J. Clark, Isaiah Moore, so many of them.
“It’s a great feeling as a coach to see those guys and the emotions some of them had coming out there, putting a helmet on.”
Practicing and playing football mean a little bit more due to the serious season-ending injuries that Wilson, Clark and Moore suffered last year. Then having the Holiday Bowl become a bitter experience with UCLA pulling out the day of the game due to COVID issues, and there is certainly an established build-up to playing at ECU.
“Unfortunately for all of us, tragedy and injury in football, those kind of things put life in perspective,” Doeren said. “They make you assess and take inventory of what you have and how much you really appreciate and things you took for granted, like practice.”
Leary is not the only experienced player back on offense. The Wolfpack also return wide receivers Devin Carter and Thayer Thomas, four of the offensive line starters and both H-back options. NCSU will need to break in a new rotation at running back, though junior Jordan Houston played extensively in 2019, and redshirt sophomore Anthony Belton could be in line to take over the left tackle position.
The 6-foot-6, 330-pound Belton could solidify the spot vacated by first-round pick Ikem Ekwonu.
“He’s had a tremendous offseason,” Doeren said.”From January all the way through the summer, he’s one of the guys that [NC State strength and conditioning] Coach Thunder [Barnette] really pointed that he’s changed his body in a good way.
“He’s in great shape, bending well and he’s long. He had the chance to learn from the best last year, and really took it to heart.”
NC State’s key players on defense are all back except for the losses of defensive end Daniel Joseph, outside linebacker Vi Jones and cornerback Chris Ingram. The extensive injuries last year on defense created impressive depth.
The hype machine has been in full blown the last few months in Raleigh.
“Last year’s stats won’t win this year’s game,” said Doeren, who has been preaching that mantra of late. “We have some pieces that we have to replace, particularly on offense. There is a lot of work to do.
“There are very aware of what they have to do to stay where they want to be.”
Doeren said the older players definitely practice at a different level and are in different kind of shape too. Doeren didn’t think the 85-86-degree heat Wednesday bothered the older players, who are used to it.
“That leadership rubs off and there is a visible difference to a head coach from a first- or- second-year player, and then a guy in his fifth or sixth year,” Doeren said.
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