NCSU football picks up another grad transfer, kicker Carson Wise

Graduate transfers helped N.C. State’s football team in two key spots last season. Dave Doeren is hoping kicker Carson Wise can do the same this season for the Wolfpack.

The school announced Thursday that Wise, a graduate transfer from Division II Carson-Newman, will join the Wolfpack program and has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Quarterback Ryan Finley (Boise State) and center Joe Scelfo (South Alabama) were important grad transfer additions last offseason and helped the Wolfpack go 7-6.

Wise (5-10, 170 pounds), who is from Blacksburg, Va., began his college career at Virginia Tech. He transferred after one season to Carson-Newman.

“He is a talented player who should be a great addition to our special teams as we look for him to handle our field goal and kickoff duties this fall,” Doeren said in a statement released by the school.

Wise made 8 of 13 field-goal attempts last season for the Eagles and was 32 of 33 on PATs. His numbers were better in 2015 when he made 13 of 18 field-goal attempts and 65 of 68 PATs.

N.C. State struggled with its kicking game last season. Sophomore Kyle Bambard (5 of 10) and grad transfer Connor Haskins (4 of 7) couldn’t establish any consistency and took turns with the starting job.

Bambard missed a 33-yard field goal at the end of regulation that would have given N.C. State a road win over eventual national champion Clemson. The Tigers won the game, 24-17, in overtime. Bambard was 7 of 14 on field-goal attempts as a freshman in 2015.

Wise redshirted at Virginia Tech in 2014. Since he dropped down to Division II, he didn’t have to sit out a season under NCAA transfer rules. As a graduate transfer, he’s able to play right away at N.C. State. And since he redshirted his first season, he has two years of eligibility remaining.

This story was originally published March 30, 2017 at 4:21 PM with the headline "NCSU football picks up another grad transfer, kicker Carson Wise."