NC State redshirt junior tight end Justin Joly has morphed into a true weapon for the Wolfpack this season.
Joly has 30 catches for 513 yards and three touchdowns through nine games, and he’s scored a touchdown in three of the last four games. NC State’s last productive receiving tight end Cary Angeline caught 27 passes for 412 yards and six touchdowns in 2020.
The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Joly has already surpassed Angeline’s statistics in both catches and yards, and could catch him in touchdowns.
”He shows up every day and works really hard,” NC State coach Dave Doeren said. “He’s dedicated to improving. As a coach, that's all you can ask for, is to get a talented player with a good attitude that wants to get better.”
The last true chess piece the Wolfpack had in the tight end/H-back role was Jaylen Samuels, who had a special NCSU career. The 5-11, 228-pound Samuels was the creation of offensive coordinator Matt Canada, who consulted with former Charlotte Mallard Creek offensive coordinator Aaron Brand, who is now the head coach at Columbia (S.C.) Irmo High.
Samuels caught 202 passes for 1,855 yards and 19 touchdowns, and also rushed 181 times for 1,103 yards and 28 scores in 52 career games at NCSU.
Joly doesn’t have the rushing dimension of Samuels, but he does put heat on the defense trying to guard him.
“He's kind of a blend, you know, of Jaylen Samuels and Cary Angeline,” NC State coach Dave Doeren said. ‘There's a big receiving target, tight end that you can have, but also a guy that can really run well once he touches it.
“We’re super excited about not only what he's done, but the improvements. He’s still got a lot of upside. Like, there's a lot that he can continue to work on, and he knows that. He's really a hard worker.”
Joly’s bonafides in the passing game were established last year in catching 56 passes for 578 yards and two touchdowns at Connecticut. He’s seamlessly transitioned to NC State’s scheme under offensive coordinator Robert Anae, who also coaches the tight ends and slot receivers.
Anea has various packages he can use on offense, but having Joly out there rather than a third- or- fourth receiver is helpful to the offense. Joly also seemingly has developed quick chemistry with new freshman quarterback Cedrick Bailey.
“The blocking schemes, you know, he's 250 pounds, so you can get him in the box and do different things with him,” Doeren said. “[It is] a lot harder to do that with a 180- to 200-pound guy [wide receiver] and expect him to hold up blocking defensive ends and outside linebackers.
“The number of formations you can be in where you have a tight end that can move around, you see it all over the NFL, versus four wides where it's four wides, you know? It's just more versatility.”
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