NC State depth chart breakdown - linebackers: Why the group is healthier, deeper
N.C. State linebackers coach Tony Gibson has what could be considered a good problem as he looks at his group.
Gibson, who previously worked with safeties, has eight potential players who he could work into the rotation. His challenge will be figuring out how many snaps each player gets. In addition to two true freshman with bright futures, Gibson has five players who started at various points a year ago.
The Wolfpack, which opens its season Sept. 19 at home against Wake Forest, returns its four top tacklers — three of them linebackers — from 2019. Of N.C. State’s top eight returning tacklers, five of them play linebacker. Gibson’s group combined for 376 career stops and 12.5 stops last season. N.C. State’s defense was sixth in the conference against the run, so there’s room for improvement. This group could also stand to get more turnovers (it had two interceptions in 2019).
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Like most of the defense a year ago, injuries made it hard for there to be a consistent rotation among the group, but they enter the 2020 campaign healthy and deeper than a year ago. In the last six games of last season, the defense gave up an average of 41.2 points per game, while plugging in different rotations. That falls on the entire defense, but like most defenses, the linebackers lead the way, so they’ll have to set the tone if N.C. State looks to improve on that side of the ball.
Here’s a breakdown of N.C. State’s linebacker position:
Who is expected to start?
Junior Isaiah Moore, who’s 6-2 and 240 pounds, will be starting in one spot. You can write that one in pen. Moore is the only player in the position group who started all 11 games last season, finishing with 53 tackles. Sophomore Payton Wilson (6-4, 235 pounds) led the team in tackles with 69 last season despite starting just one game. Wilson should join Moore and senior Louis Acceus (5-11, 223 pounds) in the lineup. Acceus missed the last four games of 2019 with an injury, but has appeared in 32 career games.
Who are the key reserves?
Sophomore Calvin Hart, Jr. (6-1, 225 pounds), junior Vi Jones (6-3, 230 pounds) and sophomore Drake Thomas (6-0, 236 pounds) could easily be in the starting lineup. If not they will be able to spell the starters and give quality snaps. Hart and Thomas started a combined five games last season and Jones appeared in 22 games at Southern Cal before transferring to N.C. State. Sophomore Jaylon Scott (6-1, 237 pounds) also appeared in six games in 2019.
Who might surprise us?
True freshman Jayland Parker enrolled early and got a jump start on learning the defense. As a senior at Westside High School in Macon, Ga., Parker (6-1, 215 pounds) finished with 42 tackles, including seven for loss. There is a lot of experience in front of him, but in a season when coach Dave Doeren might have to use every player on the roster, Parker could see a lot of time.
What are the strengths of the group as a whole?
Obviously, experience and depth are the main pluses for this group. Seven or eight different players could start and have played in big-time college games. The athleticism of the group is worth mentioning. Wilson and Thomas had three of the team’s four interceptions a year ago and the group has shown some speed to run down quarterbacks and ball carriers.
What are the weakness of the group as a whole?
Staying injury free is big. There were so many players in and out a year ago. The group could also stand to force more turnovers. N.C. State linebackers only forced one fumble a year ago. Acceus had 4.5 sacks a year ago, but no other linebacker had more than 2.5. They also need to get their hands on the quarterback more.
Wake Forest at NC State
When: Sept. 19, 8 p.m.
Where: Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh
Watch: ACC Network
This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 12:56 PM.
