These are the NC State football players — including Ricky Person — returning from injuries
A quick survey on Twitter resulted in some big names from the N.C. State football team.
The question was simple: Out of all the players who were injured in 2019, which one are you excited to see back in 2020?
There are so many names to choose from, too many for any college program to have to suffer through. In all, 12 part- or full-time starters missed significant time last year, part of the reason the Wolfpack went 4-8.
From the Twitter responses, there were some notable names, including wide receiver CJ Riley. Riley had 17 plays in 2019 before tearing his ACL in the season opener against East Carolina. Responses also included tight end Dylan Autenrieth, a key part of the running game, who went down with a knee injury against West Virginia last September, and missed the remainder of the season.
Then there’s Ricky Person.
The former Heritage High School star arrived at N.C. State in 2018 as the prize recruit for Dave Doeren. The running back was the No. 2 prospect in that recruiting class and expected to step in and carry the load right away. A four-star recruit who rushed for 2,238 yards and 38 touchdowns at Heritage, Person was expected to be the next 1,000 yard rusher for the Wolfpack. But various injuries have made that hard to do.
Person has missed nine total games with N.C. State. A nagging ankle injury was the culprit last season, causing Person to miss five games. He had surgery in October 2019 and was set to return to practice in the spring, but the coronavirus pandemic shut that down. So instead of taking hits, Person got to rest, which turned out to be a good thing.
“Everyone knows my injuries that I had,” Person told the media on Tuesday. “I took advantage of that (being off) for the most part.”
While Person was resting, he was also taking care of his body. He topped out at 220 pounds this summer and is listed at 218 heading into N.C. State’s season opener against Wake Forest on Saturday. Person said he feels 100% and was listed as the No. 1 running back on State’s depth chart heading into the first game.
Ricky Person’s stats for NC State
Person has rushed for 700 yards and five touchdowns in two seasons, leaving a lot to be desired after arriving at State as an U.S. Army All-American. But he’s shown flashes of what he can do when healthy.
As a true freshman in 2018, he rushed for 108 yards, averaging 7.7 yards per carry in a game against Virginia. He followed that game with a 92-yard rushing day against Boston College the next week. But every step forward has been thwarted by two steps back. He has more DNPs (Did Not Play) on his career stat sheet than touchdowns. Person hasn’t rushed for more than 66 yards in a game since the win at UNC in 2018.
He admitted it’s been frustrating, enough so that he questioned if football was still for him.
“I was going through a lot of mental stuff at the time,” Person said. “At one point I was like ‘well, is football still for me?’ I took that time where I got closer to God, close to football and I just asked myself questions like ‘is this for me? And I said yes.’”
Will this be Ricky Person’s ‘breakout year’?
Having coaches like strength and conditioning coach Dantonio Burnette and his fellow running backs in his corner got Person through the tough times. His teammates have taken notice of a healthy Person running the ball in camp.
“Ricky is dangerous when you give him the ball,” sophomore offensive lineman Ikem “Ickey” Ekwonu said. “It’s always nice having a (guy) back there you can trust. It’s nice seeing Ricky come back from those injuries and some of the things he’s been doing.”
He knows he had the injury shadow over him, but he feels the light starting to shine through.
“It’s something that God has planned for me,” Person said. “I feel like this year is going to be a breakout year for me.”
Look who’s back for the Pack
Dylan Autenrieth - tight end
Games missed in 2019 (9)
Known more for his run blocking, Autenrieth started the first three games of 2019 before his injury. Caught three passes for 40 yards last year.
Taiyon Palmer - cornerback
Games missed in 2019 (7)
Played in four games as a redshirt freshman in 2019 before a season-ending knee injury.
Dylan Parham - tight end
Games missed in 2019 (5)
Missed the last five games of 2019 with an ankle injury.
C.J. Riley - wide receiver
Games missed in 2019 (11)
Has 37 career receptions in three seasons with two career starts.
Tyrone Riley - offensive tackle
Games missed in 2019 (12)
Was set to start at left tackle in 2019 but went down with an injury in training camp. Set to start at left tackle this season.
Teshaun Smith - cornerback
Games missed in 2019 (6)
Has started four games in two seasons and played in 16 career-games.
Justin Whitt - offensive tackle
Games missed in 2019 (7)
Has 17 career starts at N.C. State. Started the first five games of the year in 2019. Will start at right tackle this season.
Wake Forest at NC State
When: 8 p.m., Saturday
Where: Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh
Watch: ACC Network
This story was originally published September 15, 2020 at 3:13 PM.
