As training camp ends, NC State football lineup starts to take shape
Tuesday marked the formal end to preseason camp for NC State football. Players will get Wednesday off as it is the first day of fall semester classes, and then Thursday and Friday will begin some work on the season-opening opponent, James Madison, which comes to Raleigh Sept. 1. The Pack will then have a scrimmage Saturday before diving into a normal game week.
“We’ll use tonight and tomorrow as a staff to finalize our James Madison first-down, second-down game plans and then we’ll introduce those types of things Thursday to the guys,” head coach Dave Doeren said.
NC State has had a few players banged up during preseason camp, but some are returning. Tuesday was the first day that redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Shug Frazier made it through every session of practice. Frazier had been anticipated to be a potential starter at defensive tackle.
However, redshirt junior Larrell Murchison, a product of Louisburg (N.C.) College that sat out last fall, has emerged next to senior Eurndraus Bryant in the middle of the defense. Frazier and redshirt freshman Grant Gibson will likely fill out the four-player rotation, Doeren noted.
Murchison’s emergence was one of the more positive stories from preseason camp.
“He’s a different guy,” Doeren said. “He’s in the 290s in his weight. He’s playing fast. He was strong when he got here, but he didn’t play under control. Now he is just playing under control. He’s very athletic, a quick-twitch guy. I’m really excited about what he’s been doing in camp.”
Another player that has returned to practice is touted freshman running back Ricky Person Jr. Doeren noted that Person is “healthier” and took part in about half of practice Tuesday.
“We are not going to take a guy from zero to 100,” Doeren said. “He was back out there and looked good. [Senior] Reggie [Gallaspy Jr.] is our starter as you guys know and we’re still working on who’s going to get the ball after him. I think there are options — [redshirt freshman] Nakia Robinson, [freshman] Trent Pennix, Ricky Person, [fifth-year senior] Brady Bodine — but it’s not solidified yet.”
One player that has not yet returned is redshirt junior nickel Stephen Griffin, a transfer from Tennessee that was a breakout star in the spring. Griffin has been out since the start of camp, so the reps at nickel have gone to freshman Tanner Ingle and redshirt junior Freddie Phillips Jr., with the latter coming off surgery to repair a torn achilles tendon suffered in the 2018 season opener against South Carolina.
Whether or not Griffin will be ready for the opener is still to be determined at this point.
“The good thing is he took every rep in the spring,” Doeren said. “He got soaked in the spring. He has played Division I football for two years so he’s a little bit different from other guys, maybe.
“We’re excited about what Tanner Ingle and Freddie Phillips are doing over there. It’s not a position where we are out of guys by any means. We feel better about the depth there than we have in years. Getting Stephen back will help us there’s no doubt.”
One competition that is still sorting itself out is at cornerback. Junior Nick McCloud is one presumed starter, but the battle to figure out the rotation at the position is still ongoing.
“The good thing is there are a lot of guys making plays,” Doeren stated. “Impressed with [junior] Kishawn Miller the last couple of days. He’s really come on. Nick McCloud has had a very good camp. [Sophomore] Chris Ingram has been out with a minor [injury] deal so we’ve been able to rep some of the younger guys.
"Teshaun Smith, a freshman, has looked really good. He kind of hit a wall a little bit [Tuesday] with the two-minute red zone, but he’s done some good things out there.”
Finding a rotation at defensive end is also to be decided. Redshirt freshman Ibrahim Kante, who has earned the praise of Doeren multiple times in preseason camp, is back on the edge after spending the first part of preseason camp on the interior. Kante was recruited to play end but moved to tackle towards the end of spring practices.
Doeren also cited fifth-year senior Deonte Holden, who saw four of his classmates on the defensive line from the 2013 recruiting haul drafted last year in the NFL. Holden has spent most of his career injured.
“Deonte Holden has gotten a lot of reps in camp,” Doeren said. “It’s good to see him healthy for the first time.”
——
• Talk about it inside The Wolves’ Den
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolfpacker
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolfpacker
• Like us on Facebook