In May, we originally started a countdown to NC State football's season and ACC opener against Louisville, a game that was originally scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 3.

In mid-June, the game was moved up a day to Wednesday, Sept. 2 in order to not conflict with the Kentucky Derby which was postponed from the traditional first Saturday in May to Saturday, Sept. 5 over Labor Day weekend.

In late July, the ACC scrapped its original football schedule to create a new 11-game model due to challenges presented from the coronavirus pandemic. A week later, NC State learned the dates of its new schedule which will begin Saturday, Sept. 12 in a road game against Virginia Tech.

Today, Aug. 24 marks 19 days from the Wolfpack's season opener, for now.

Each day, The Wolfpacker will do a countdown to the season with a reflection on the significance of that number to NC State.

Graduate wide receiver C.J. Riley and freshman defensive back Joshua Pierre-Louis will both wear the No. 19 jersey for the Wolfpack in 2020.

Riley was a member of the 2016 class that redshirted his freshman season after injuring his ACL. He played his first snaps in 2017 as a redshirt freshman that appeared in all 13 games and earned his first career start against North Carolina. He grabbed nine receptions for 142 yards that season.

As a redshirt sophomore in 2018, Riley once again appeared in all 13 contests but did not start. He had the best statistical year of his college career with 28 receptions for 315 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Riley also had the fastest 40-yard dash time on the team that year after clocking in with a 4.48-second run.

Riley was once again one of the fastest players on the 2019 roster as the team's starting X receiver for the season opener. Only 17 plays into his first season as a starter, Riley again injured his ACL with a tear and missed the rest of the season.

Now entering 2020, Riley is right back in the mix to earn his starting role back in first-year offensive coordinator Tim Beck's offense. This offseason, he was granted a sixth-year of eligibility following his season cut short in 2019. With the recent decision by the NCAA that the 2020 season will not count as a year of eligibility for fall sports, Riley could have the option of staying with the Pack until 2022.

Pierre-Louis is a three-star cornerback in the 2020 class that measured in at 5-foot-10, 160 pounds this summer.

Coming from the Benjamin School in Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.), Pierre-Louis played corner and running back in high school. Over two seasons, he took down 64 tackles, grabbed four interceptions and forced one fumble. On offense, he ran for 659 yards and seven touchdowns and hauled in 32 receptions, including two touchdowns, for 452 yards.

Pierre-Louis earned All-County honors as a junior and first-team All-State as a senior. He also ran track in high school, where he won the regional title in the 400m and finished third at the state championship in the 200m.

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