Who will be NC State’s kicker against Virginia? The position remains open
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Konieczynski and Vinesett remain in competition for placekicker role in Week 2.
- Doeren cites special teams accuracy as key improvement focus after opener.
- Virginia brings 51 new players, including top-30 portal class, to Raleigh matchup.
N.C. State’s depth chart remains largely unchanged for Week 2 except the “or” listed between the two place-kickers.
The Wolfpack is leaving its options open for its upcoming matchup against Virginia after Nick Konieczynski struggled in the season opener. The redshirt freshman earned his first career start over Kanoah Vinesett, who handled place-kicking duties last year.
Konieczynski made 1 of 3 field goal attempts in the win over East Carolina, missing one from 40 yards and the other from 46 yards, distances head coach Dave Doeren said on Monday are makeable. The two misses would have maintained a two-possession lead in the fourth quarter. Konieczynski’s only made field goal was from 29 yards, and he was perfect on PATs.
Doeren said that is the biggest area on special teams that the team wants to see improved this week.
“We’ll go through this week and continue to evaluate it,” Doeren said. “We expect that position to get back to where it was; to where these guys are accurate, making the kicks we expect them to make.”
Konieczynski earned the starting job over Vinesett due to his efficiency during fall camp. The players practice situational kicking, game-ending kicking and 11-on-11 kicking, which the staff tracks. Doeren said Konieczynski finished preseason practices with a 91% accuracy.
“You can’t ignore what the guys do in practice, but you don’t know how game day is going to be,” Doeren said. “He’s a young kid. He’s a very talented kid.”
Konieczynski left high school with limited field goal experience. He went 4 of 10 between his junior and senior seasons — his longest was 30 yards — while making 122 of 131 PAT attempts. He primarily handled kickoff duties at Butler High School in Matthews, North Carolina, contributing 100 kickoffs in his final two seasons.
The Wolfpack relied primarily on Vinesett last season. He went 18 of 24, including four field goals 40 yards or longer. His longest made field goal was for 52 yards against Louisiana Tech, a game in which he went 3 for 3.
Vinesett was nearly perfect on PATs, making 34 of 35 attempts last season.
“They are talented. It’s not like we’re dealing with guys that can’t kick the football or make kicks,” Doeren said. “They can and they have. You just encourage them, and you help them through. [It’s] no different than any other sport, when a guy’s a little off.
“We have confidence in those guys, and I look forward to seeing them bounce back.”
Noah Rogers to return
Sophomore wide receiver Noah Rogers left the East Carolina game last week after a hard hit. He played 36 snaps and contributed a pair of receptions for 19 yards.
“Noah’s good,” Doeren said. “He’s totally cleared, and looking forward to having him back.”
A nonconference game vs. a conference opponent
N.C. State will play Virginia this weekend for just the fourth time in Doeren’s tenure, despite being less than four hours apart.
The Wolfpack and Cavaliers scheduled the meeting to ensure they each had another Power Four opponent on the schedule. Teams should play nine or 10 power programs per year — N.C. State plays 10 this season — and Doeren likes scheduling regional teams. Fans can get to the respective campuses easily and there are recruiting ties, making the matchups more fun and useful than playing across the country at Texas Tech or BYU, he said.
“It seemed like a natural fit to try to get them on our schedule when we both had an opening and were both trying to find another game,” Doeren said. “I’ve tried to do it with Duke before, back when we hardly ever played Duke, and I just couldn’t get them on the schedule because they had theirs filled up so far out.”
N.C. State last played Virginia in 2023, beating the Cavaliers on a late field goal by former kicker Brayden Narveson. The Hoos have struggled in the ACC recently but won their season opener, 48-7, against Coastal Carolina on Saturday. The Cavaliers found success in all three phases, including a kickoff return touchdown, a pair of blocked punts and 100-yard receiving game by Cam Ross.
Though there is not a big sample size — teams evolve yearly due to the transfer portal — Doeren said the 2025 UVA team is “much better” than the one N.C. State played in 2023. The Cavaliers brought in 51 new players, 31 of which came from the transfer portal. Virginia’s portal class ranks No. 4 in the ACC and No. 26 nationally.
“We play at noon this week, and so [I’m] asking you to get to bed early or stay up all night, whichever you prefer, but be at the stadium on time, get there and have a good time,” Doeren said in a message to the fans. “Our tailgate’s amazing. Get in the stands and be there for the kick and stay for four quarters. It’s a big game this week.”
