The following is a press release from NC State, confirming a tidbit dropped on the premium Wolves' Den message board yesterday that the Pack may hire Worth Gregory to replace Doug Shearer, who left to become special teams coordinator at Miami of Ohio:
NC State head football coach Dave Doeren has announced that Worth Gregory has joined his staff as the quality control coach for special teams. Gregory comes to the Wolfpack from Utah State, where he spent last season working with the Aggies' football program as a special teams administrative assistant coach.
Utah State's special teams enjoyed great success in 2018, leading the FBS in kickoff returns with a 30.3 average. Aggie returner Savon Scarver was the national individual leader and won All-America honors, while placekicker Dominik Eberle led the league and ranked ninth nationally in field goals with 1.7 made per game and was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award.
"We're excited to have somebody with Worth's background," said Doeren. "Not only does he have great experience as a specialist, but he coached at a program that fielded great special teams. He has strong regional ties, growing up in South Carolina but close to Charlotte, and playing at an instate school. I'm looking forward to having his expertise on our staff."
A 2017 graduate of East Carolina, Gregory excelled on the field and in the classroom. The three-time Ray Guy Award Watch List selection averaged 43.0 yards per punt during his 37-game ECU career, which ranks as the fourth-highest total in school history. The team captain set a single-season record as a junior, placing 32 punts inside the 20-yard line and was named the Pirates' special teams MVP during his final two years of action.
Additionally, Gregory ranked among the American Athletic Conference's top punters, earning second-team all-league honors as a senior after ranking third with a 42.3 average. As a junior, Gregory booted the AAC's longest punt with a 73-yarder against USF. As a sophomore, he averaged 43.6 yards per punt to finish second in the AAC.
Academically, the Fort Mill, S.C., native earned a 2017 University Scholar-Athlete Award from the National Football Foundation (NFF) and was named to the NFF's Hampshire Honor Society. An honor roll and dean's list performer, Gregory graduated from ECU in May of 2016 with a degree in business administration and a cumulative grade point average of 3.218. Following graduation, he had a brief stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Gregory started his collegiate career at Alabama, where he was a member of the 2012 Crimson Tide team that defeated Notre Dame, 42-14, in the BCS National Championship Game at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
A three-time letterman in football at Fort Mill High School, Gregory was tabbed a five-star performer by Kohls/NCS. Chris Sailer Kicking rated him as the No. 1 punter in South Carolina and listed him as the No. 7 punter nationally.
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