NC State is in their third year under Tom O'Brien and are starting to see the fruits of their patience under O'Brien. This certainly looks to be their best team during this three year tenure and one that could compete, with a couple of breaks, for the ACC Atlantic division title.
OFFENSE
QBs: Since Philip Rivers, NCSU has been plagued by mediocre quarterback play. It appeared that was going to be the case last year as well as Russell Wilson was not impressive in the opener, got knocked out of the game, and missed parts of the next few with injuries. At mid season however, Wilson started to light it up and finished the year as the best quarterback in the ACC. He won Offensive rookie of the year as a redshirt freshman with an amazing 17-1 TD/INT ratio. He threw for 1955 yards and ran for 388 more. The most impressive thing about Wilson, besides his amazing arm strength, are his great intelligence and instincts. He never throws interceptions forcing passes (many times throwing the ball out of bounds if nothing is there) and can make plays and keep plays alive with his legs. If he stays healthy he will be my pick for ACC POY and should have a great sophomore season. His athleticism and intelligence are a dangerous combination. Mike Glennon will back Wilson up and was a top 3 QB recruit coming out of high school 2 years ago. If Wilson does get banged up (which is likely with the style he plays) NCSU fans should feel much more confident with Glennon in the back-up role, especially if he lives up to his high school hype.
RBs: NC State is looking to build a solid running game year in and year out as O'Brien is known for developing great offensive lines which allow you to run the ball. Last year the running game showed promise at times but was hampered by injuries (as it seemed every unit was last year). Andre Brown led with 767 yds. and 7 TDs and he is now in the NFL. Jamelle Eugene returns and was #2 last year with 442. Adding improvement to the backfield will be rFr Brandon Barnes, a top 10 high school recruit a year ago. He boasts great speed. Curtis Underwood also has impressed. Toney Baker also returns as a sixth year senior who has battled injuries much of his career after being a decorated high school recruit. If he can produce at a relatively high level to go with Eugene and Barnes, NCSU could have a very good year running the football.
WR: NC State had a speedy receiving corps a year ago but a very young one that was plagued with drop passes. Owen Spencer returns and is a great deep threat (22.3 yds. per catch last year) but he struggled the most with dropped passes a year ago. If this is corrected he could be primed for a big year. Jarvis Williams also returns and was the #2 receiver a year ago with 432 and 4 TDs. TJ Graham is another speedster that, with improved route running skills, could be a great third option. George Bryan is a wonderful TE prospect entering his sophomore season and gives Wilson another solid, reliable option to distribute the ball to. This unit should be much better this season with another year of experience for them as well as Russell Wilson.
OL: This is what O'Brien has always been known for. He almost always has a very good OL that produces NFL talent. He has done a lot of mix and match and position switching to get the right personnel along the OL in his first 2 years and this year looks like it could be the year where the OL breaks out. They return 3 starters from last years unit and the two new guys will both most likely be seniors. This unit should continue to improve under O'Brien from a year ago and they will have another year of experience. This will be an "old" offensive line with four seniors and one junior most likely starting.
DEFENSE:
DL: NC State has had some great defensive linemen come through the program recently (Mario Williams, Manny Lawson, Tank Tyler, DeMario Pressley). All of those guys now play on Sundays. Last years DL was inconsistent at times and pretty good at others. This unit was banged up for much of the year as well which did not help. This year they return three starters in Willie Young, Alan-Michael Cash, and Shea McKeen. Young is explosive and a great playmaker while DT Cash is their most consistent DL and a solid down to down guy. This will undoubtedly be the best DL since O'Brien's arrival and if Young has a consistent year he could be a first or second round pick next NFL draft.
LB: This was a concern last year for the Wolfpack but ended up being a strength. Nate Irving had a great year and was spectacular at times, setting the school record for INTS for an LB with four. Ray Michel led the team in tackles with 85. This year all three starters would have been returning (basically with Dwayne Maddox playing a big role last year and starting this year) but unfortunately Irving was hurt in a car accident over the summer and probably won't play this season. However, NC State will get help from Terrell Manning, a top 15 LB recruit from last year that redshirted due to injury. If he lives up to his billing NC State should have a very good LB corps but the probable loss of Irving is huge.
CB: When O'Brien took over the defensive backfield switched from a predominately man scheme to more zone. This obviously led to some difficulty with adjustments and NC State struggled at times against the pass last year. This unit also had injury issues last year. This year should be a better year for the secondary as five guys who started games last year return and all have another year of experience. I look for at least some improvement over a year ago.
OVERALL
NC State should be a much improved team on the field and record wise this coming season. O'Brien is a great head coach that gets the most out of his teams and his teams rarely beat themselves. Wilson is a potential star and should provide consistent point production. The defense will miss Irving but still should be better overall than a year ago where some games sputtered at times.
NC State has a tough schedule, both in conference and out, but I see this team at least getting 7 wins, possibly 8, with a bowl game to come. If Wilson is healthy all season and the OL and RBs stay healthy this team could definitely get to nine wins. I really like Wilson's game management skills and think he is the best QB in the ACC. Any time you have the best QB in your conference you are going to have a chance to win a lot of games. Like I said, with a couple of breaks and an upset somewhere along the way, I can see NC State being a prime contender in the Atlantic division race.
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