Irving is refocused, rested and ready

RALEIGH -- N.C. State linebacker Nate Irving keeps the photos of his mangled sport utility vehicle close at hand, so he can remember where he has been and how fortunate he is.

Irving's father took a lot of pictures after Irving's June 28 wreck, and they're gruesome.

Irving has seen pictures of the crushed roof, the misshapen seats and the blood stains - his blood. He looks at the photo that's in his room every day. He keeps another photograph on his cell phone.

"That's not something I want to experience again, because I might not be so blessed next time to walk out of it," Irving said. "To come away alive, being able to play football, next time I might not come out of it."

After leaving for Raleigh from his home in Wallace, about 35 miles northwest of Wilmington, the then-20-year-old athlete fell asleep at the wheel. He was severely injured in the one-car wreck.

The team's interceptions leader in 2008, Irving sat out last season because of a separated left shoulder, a cracked rib and punctured lung on his left side, and a badly fractured left leg. Doctors have cleared him to join the team for spring practice, which starts today. But even eight months after the crash, he plans to take his return to the field cautiously, seeing how much his body will allow him to do.

Irving's plan ("Lord willing," he said) is to be at full strength by the beginning of the season. He still faces many unknowns on the football field, though.

He's not as strong or fast as he was before the crash, but he hopes to exceed his previous physical benchmarks by the time the season starts.

Irving also isn't even close to the same person he was when he left home early that June morning, confident that he could get his weary self back to Raleigh.

Asleep at the wheel

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics, from 2004 to 2007 an average of 1,025 fatal crashes in the United States occurred each year involving at least one drowsy driver.

In Irving's case, he had a deep conversation with his parents on the night of his crash, went out for a while and then thought he could make it back to Raleigh without a problem.

He said he doesn't remember a lot from that night. He vaguely recalls swerving around or behind a truck. The next thing he remembers is seeing lights over his head as he was wheeled into the emergency room.

The State Highway Patrol account details the rest. At 4:40 a.m. Irving ran off the road near the 314-mile marker on Interstate 40. Irving lost control of his vehicle and went off the road to the left, then overcorrected and swerved off the right side of the road, striking two trees and coming to rest in a ditch, according to the report.

Irving was charged with careless driving. The case was dismissed, according to records at the Johnston County court clerk's office. But Irving's brush with death has changed his attitude toward rest, especially when it pertains to driving.

"There's nothing more important than getting your rest," he said. "I almost lost my life because I didn't get my rest. It's so important. Rest helps the body recover. During that period, you regain back your strength and your alertness."

Irving didn't appreciate the importance of sleep eight months ago, and he has been paying the price ever since.

Slow recovery

Once Irving recovered enough to attend practice last fall, N.C. State's players and coaches welcomed him as a sort of extra assistant coach. But as the defense collapsed without him and N.C. State slumped to 5-7, there was a time when he couldn't emotionally handle being around the team.

He just felt so helpless, Irving said. Meanwhile, his father and brothers appealed to his competitive side to help him rehabilitate. They teased him, telling him that he was going to get pushed around on the football field when he finally returned. That helped to motivate him, and now he can't wait to get back on the field.

Irving will play for a new linebackers coach, Jon Tenuta, who's highly renowned for his ability to pressure the quarterback as a defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech and Notre Dame. Irving is listed on the depth chart at middle linebacker.

That's a change from the boundary linebacker position he played in 2008. Despite missing about a third of that season with injuries, he tied for third on the team with 84 tackles in 2008, leading N.C. State with four interceptions.

Irving said he's willing to play wherever he's needed most and is eager to help the defense improve after N.C. State ranked 11th in the ACC in scoring defense at 31.2 points per game last season. Wolfpack defensive coordinator Mike Archer said the coaches will take things slowly with Irving in the spring and expect him to be rusty at first.

New outlook

Off the field, Irving said, his focus has changed immensely.

His first class this semester is the Parks and Recreation Finance and Administration seminar taught by Kathy Gore. Irving said that before his crash, he often didn't pay attention in his early classes because he was tired.

"I'm in there now paying attention, fully alert and trying to get the work done," he said.

Irving's football future is still a huge question mark. He was a promising NFL prospect before the crash, but it's too early to tell whether he will completely recover physically.

A lot of his past success, though, came because of his ability to understand offenses and anticipate plays before they happened. He suspects that the accident won't diminish that skill.

And the crash has given him a laser-sharp focus on what's important in life. If he ever forgets, he has the photographs of his vehicle to remind him to make the most of his second chance.

"The game of football, having it taken away from me for a short time, I value every snap, every practice, every workout I can do now," Irving said. "I value the relationships I've gained with my teammates and coaches. And my education. I just value so much more."

Wolfpack notes

Nine N.C. State football players will miss spring practice because of injury according to a spring prospectus the school released Monday morning.

A 10th player, quarterback Russell Wilson, won't participate in spring practices because he is playing for the Wolfpack baseball team. Spring practice starts today.

The injured players are cornerback Justin Byers, cornerback Jarvis Byrd, tight end Mario Carter, defensive end Sylvester Crawford, wide receiver Steven Howard, offensive guard Gary Gregory, linebacker Colby Jackson, offensive guard R.J. Mattes and defensive tackle Deion Roberson.