NC State Football Position Preview: Linebackers
I task anyone to find a more stacked linebacking core in the country right now than NC State. If you would have told me that I would make that proposition five or six years ago, I would have thought you were crazy. But that’s the beauty of college athletics. Players come and go, improve, and can develop into stars right in front of our eyes; and that has certainly been the case for the Wolfpack linebackers. While injuries have limited the roster in the past in terms of being able to play collectively together for extended periods of time, all chips are being thrown into the middle for the 2022 season. With multiple players in this group electing to return to school for one final run, thanks to the free pandemic year, this could go down as one of the best defenses the school has ever seen; and it all starts in the linebacker room.
What can you say about two-time team captain Isaiah Moore? The Grad student out of Bird High School in Chester, Virginia is the owner of the coveted №1 jersey given by head coach Dave Doeren to the player that exemplifies what it truly means to be a leader on and off the field. Through seven games last season, he was the leader of the team in tackles for loss with five and also second in total tackles with 43. In that seventh game against Miami, Moore suffered a season-ending left knee injury. To the surprise of no one, he stayed on the sidelines with the team for the rest of the season doing what captains do: coaching and continuing to be a vocal leader for the defense. He is continuing to rehab his injury and is not scheduled to participate in any spring activities. However, he is on track to step back onto the field in the #1 jersey on September 3rd to lead the team once again.
Another star that seems to not be able to catch a break from injuries is the talented Payton Wilson. The redshirt junior out of Orange High School in Hillsborough, North Carolina was coming off of a first-team ALL-ACC season in 2020 and was named to the preseason watch list for just about every major defensive award in the country going into 2021. He had elected to have surgery on both of his shoulders to fix some lingering issues he has had since high school but was in the starting lineup for week one against USF. Unfortunately, the following week in Starkville, he re-injured one of his shoulders against Mississippi State, ending his season not even two full games in. He is again sitting out spring practices to rehab his shoulder, but has said that the move is precautionary and will be ready for the beginning of the new campaign.
It is certainly a luxury to have someone like Drake Thomas to lean on when a few key players go down. After starting 10 games in 2020 as the strong-side backer, the Heritage High School graduate was the one consistent presence in the second level of the defense, starting all 12 games a year ago as well. And in those 12 games, the junior was thrown constant curveballs; like being named a replacement captain after losing Moore and being switched around to multiple positions on the field in order to provide the most stability to a defense that had ended up losing nine starting players to injury by the end of the season. Leading the team in tackles with 100, Thomas was awarded a unanimous first-team ALL-ACC award and the team’s Bill Cowher and Mario Williams awards for Best Linebacker and Defensive MVP; all of which were very well deserved.
Also filling in for the injuries, were junior Jaylon Scott and sophomore Devon Betty. Scott was the first to start at weak-side linebacker, filling in for Wilson. And while racking in 30 total tackles, his struggles with pass coverage gave Betty an opportunity at the same position that the Carver Ranches, Florida native would take advantage of. The former backup middle linebacker swallowed up 38 tackles and helped stop the bleeding of a wounded linebacker core. If everyone is healthy for Week 1, I expect to see Betty move back to his original position, while Scott, the Shelby, NC product, stays put as a reliever for Thomas.
I encourage you to keep an eye out for a trio of redshirt freshmen who have been very impressive in practice according to coaches, and that is Cade Fordham, Jordan Poole, and Jayland Scott. Fordham, a graduate of The Bolles School in Ponte Verda, Florida enrolled with the Wolfpack in the spring of last year and competed in three contests while maintaining his redshirt eligibility. A player that has blossomed under coach ‘Thunder’ Burnette’s strength program, he has added over 20 pounds of muscle within that span and looks to be more than a special teams contributor this season. Poole, a West Stanly High product actually played safety for his high school in Oakboro, NC. One of the more athletic players on the defense, he will be able to add some depth in pass coverage along with the ability to rush the quarterback with speed. While Parker also saw action in three games in 2021, he will most likely see a role in special teams, allowing him to build up his confidence before he is thrown into defensive snaps during crucial moments.
Defensive coordinator/linebackers Coach Tony Gibson is also bringing in a pair of talented in-state freshmen this season with Torren Wright from Brown High in Kannapolis and Daejuan Thompson from Whiteville (enrolls in May). They will redshirt this coming season and look to the likes of Moore and Fordham in building their “body by Thunder” while learning the defensive system and getting acclimated to campus.
Projections:
SLB
MLB
WLB
Reserves: Redshirt junior Aristotle Bowles, RS Sophomore Jamie Shaw, RS Freshman Colby Johnson, and Freshmen Torren Wright and Daejuan Thompson
The only thing preventing this group from being the best linebacking core in the nation is themselves. Not only is the talent here, but it is also abundant. And not only do they have experience, but the majority of the team also has true ACC atmosphere experience; which no one else in the conference can say. And with that combination, it allows the coaches to not have to rush the younger guys into playing situations that they are not necessarily ready for. The one worry for this bunch is their injury-riddled past. But even when injuries occur, those left standing are able to muster up the best rush defense in the conference. So just imagine if everyone can stay on the field? Nevermind, don’t do that; that’s too scary of a thought.
