Tag: NC State

NC State QB ‘confident’ he will beat North Carolina in season finale

NC State’s quarterback might be a little too confident about taking on UNC next week.

North Carolina takes on Boston College this week on the road in the toughest test in their recent win streak. They became bowl-eligible with their win last week against Wake Forest and will have a postseason.

The same cannot be said for NC State, which is sitting at five wins after losing this week against Georgia Tech on the road. Quarterback CJ Bailey threw for 147 yards and three interceptions in that loss and had pretty strong words for UNC following his loss.

Bailey said this about his impending season finale matchup with the Tar Heels, which will determine NC State’s bowl eligibility, via 247sports.

We’re hurting ourselves. We’re having these self-inflicted wounds every time we take these losses. Our mindset every time is to try to bounce back and go out and get a win. North Carolina, we coming. We’re gonna win this game at North Carolina. We’re gonna get our win against North Carolina, because it means a lot to us. Things went wrong all year, but this game right here is our game.

The Wolfpack will head to Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill and take on North Carolina at home. The Tar Heels, prior to this week against Boston College, have won all three of their previous matchups and are now 6-4 on the season.

North Carolina will take on NC State in the season finale next week on Saturday, December 1, at 3:30 p.m. ET, airing on ACC Network.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

NC State’s DJ Horne to have predraft workout with Thunder

NC State’s DJ Horne to have predraft workout with Thunder.

The calendar has flipped to June, which means NBA teams are intensifying their predraft process and hosting players for workouts and visits. The 2024 NBA draft will take place from June 26-27.

The Oklahoma City Thunder enter this year’s class with a sole draft pick of the No. 12 selection. OKC was gifted the free lottery pick via the Houston Rockets.

The Thunder will host several meetings with draft prospects in the coming weeks. This includes players outside the lottery range as OKC will likely seek to add undrafted free agents or even buy back into the second round if it likes someone enough.

One possibility is NC State’s DJ Horne. He is set to have a predraft workout with the Thunder.

The 23-year-old played in five college seasons spanned over three schools from 2019-24. He spent his first two years at Illinois State before transferring to Arizona State for two years. He spent his last year at NC State, where he played a pivotal role in an improbable Final Four run.

In 40 games last season, Horne averaged 16.9 points on 43.6% shooting, 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He shot 40.4% from 3 on 6.5 attempts. At 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, he’s on the lighter side of guards.

Horne will likely be an undrafted free agent target. He has a shot to join the Thunder’s summer league squad and possibly be added to the G League’s OKC Blue for next season if he impresses enough.

A full list of 2024 NBA draft prospects that have worked out or visited the Thunder in the predraft process can be viewed here.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Wisconsin class of 2025 DL target cancels official visit to ACC school

Wisconsin class of 2025 DL target cancels official visit to ACC school

Wisconsin class of 2025 defensive line target Drayden Pavey canceled his official visit to NC State on Monday.

On May 3, the three-star included Wisconsin, Purdue and Indiana in his top three schools. Pavey officially visited the Boilermakers this past weekend and will venture to Madison the weekend of June 14.

The Cincinnati, Ohio product is 247Sports’ No. 1,049 recruit in the nation, No. 100 defensive lineman and No. 43 recruit from his home state of Ohio in the class of 2025.

Wisconsin extended an offer to the three-star recruit on April 21. In total, the 6-foot-3, 305-pounder has received 22 offers. The most notable include from Pittsburgh, Louisville, Cincinnati, Purdue, Indiana and Wisconsin.

Wisconsin’s current class of 2025 is ranked No. 13 in the nation with 16 commits. Five of them have committed during UW’s official visit cycle.

With experience on both the offensive and defensive line at Robert A. Taft Information Technology High School, Pavey could become the first defensive lineman to commit to Luke Fickell’s program from the class of 2025.

Even though Pavey elected to not include NC State in his final batch of schools, the cancelation indicates his resolve surrounding his choice. UW has a real chance to land another defensive weapon.

Georgia baseball routed by NC State in first super regional matchup

After a great comeback victory against Georgia Tech to advance to the super regionals, the Georgia Bulldogs baseball team saw a much different result play out on Saturday.

After a great comeback victory against Georgia Tech to advance to the super regionals, the Georgia Bulldogs baseball team saw a much different result play out on Saturday. Playing host to the NC State Wolfpack, the Bulldogs were demolished in every facet of the game, leading to an 18-1 defeat leaving Georgia with an elimination game on Sunday.

After a scoreless first inning, disaster struck for the Bulldogs in the second, as the Wolfpack had an incredible 11 run inning that saw them have ten consecutive batters reach base, nine with hits off of starting pitcher Kolten Smith, who was pulled in the second inning.

The Wolfpack would score one run in the next two innings, but Georgia’s batters were stifled entirely until the fifth inning, with a Corey Collins RBI single that put the score at 13-1 in favor of the Wolfpack. NC State would get five more runs en route to the 18-1 final that is the most lopsided in Georgia’s postseason history.

The Bulldogs and Wolfpack will rematch for a second game on Sunday at 12:00 E.T. on ESPNU. The Bulldogs must win in order to force a game three on Monday, or else the Wolfpack will advance to Omaha.

Notre Dame no longer will participate in Rady Children’s Invitational

Make your plans for Vegas instead of San Diego.

When it was announced that Notre Dame would compete in a NIL-type tournament in Las Vegas this season, one thing might have been forgotten. Before the start of the past season, the Irish agreed to take part in the 2024 Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego. But that won’t be the case any longer.

With the events conflicting with each other and the money involved with the Players Era Festival, the San Diego tournament officially will not feature the Irish. They, along with Arkansas, reportedly have opted out of their obligation, which involved a $200,000 buyout provision. They have been replaced by Ole Miss and Irish ACC rival NC State. Purdue and BYU will remain part of the invitational.

The writing for this was on the wall the moment the Players Era Festival was announced. No team in the NIL era is going to turn down an opportunity to financially benefit its players. Such is the new reality of college sports.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame extends offer to 2025 Massachusetts small forward

Hope the Irish get him.

Even with the 2024-25 season months away from tipping off, Notre Dame remains focused on the distant future. After all, you need to have new players all the time in order for your program to have a future.

While there are no commits for the Irish’s 2025 recruiting class yet, they’re going to do everything they can to give themselves as many options as possible. One of them apparently is 6-foot-6 small forward recruit Ryder Frost of Beverly, Massachusetts since he posted the following on social media:

Frost, the fifth-ranked 2025 Massachusetts recruit according to 247Sports, already has offers from over a dozen other schools. In fact, Frost has been offered by many ACC programs in only the past couple of days: Syracuse, Wake Forest, NC State, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

So the Irish have their work cut out for them as far as landing Frost. With luck, that work will pay off.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Former UNC football commit named a steal of NFL Draft

How much different would the UNC football team have been if Payton Wilson remained committed?

Since we entered the 2000’s, UNC has largely been dominated by rival NC State in football.

The Wolfpack have beaten the Tar Heels 15 times since 2000, including each of the last three seasons. North Carolina should’ve won in 2021, but endured yet another defensive letdown.

One NC State player who’s dominated UNC, in particular, is linebacker Payton Wilson. The Hillsborough, N.C. native totaled 402 tackles across his 5-year career in Raleigh, which included three victories in five tries against the Tar Heels.

Wilson was actually committed to UNC, but de-committed to don Wolfpack red, citing NC State cares more about football.

Wilson’s collegiate career was good enough to catch the eyes of NFL teams, as the Pittsburgh Steelers selected him 98th overall (third round) in last week’s NFL Draft.

With the fact Wilson has first round-level talent, he was named one of USA Today’s top NFL Draft steals.

“There’s no way to game out the injury factors that seemingly sunk Wilson’s stock,” Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz wrote. “Despite following up his prolific, Bednarik Award-winning performance last fall with a stellar athletic showcase at the combine, the 6-4, 233-pounder tumbled all the way to the end of the third round. His litany of red flags were mostly widely known after his time at North Carolina State – the Fayetteville Observer and the USA TODAY Network reported last January he had already underwent 10 surgeries – but reports emerged during the draft that he no longer has an interior cruciate ligament in his right knee.”

Imagine how much better the Tar Heels’ defense would’ve been with Wilson back there. North Carolina enjoyed the likes of Cedric Gray, Amari Gainer, Myles Murphy and Tomari Fox over the past couple seasons, but a player of Wilson’s talent is strong enough to make an entire unit better.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Dolphins’ Bradley Chubb inducted into NC State Athletic Hall of Fame

Bradley Chubb’s tremendous collegiate career earned him a spot in the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame.

Miami Dolphins pass rusher Bradley Chubb was enshrined in the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame during a ceremony Saturday.

Among the others enshrined were former Chargers and Colts quarterback Philip Rivers and two-time Olympic gold medal swimmer Cullen Jones.

Chubb earned the Bronco Nagurski Trophy, recognizing the nation’s best defensive player, in his senior season at NC State, along with All-American and ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors. He finished his collegiate career with 25 sacks, 54.5 tackles for loss, and six forced fumbles.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

In the 2018 NFL draft, Chubb was the first pass rusher off the board, taken by the Denver Broncos with the No. 5 overall pick. During his fifth season with the team, Chubb was traded to the Dolphins as part of a package that sent a 2023 first-round pick to Denver. Chubb subsequently signed a five-year, $110 million extension with Miami.

In 24 games with the Dolphins, Chubb has recorded 13.5 sacks and seven forced fumbles.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

NC State All-American LB Payton Wilson visits Texans for top 30 visit

Payton Wilson, one of the top linebacker prospects in the upcoming draft, recently visited the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.

Linebacker has been a position linked to the Houston Texans as a potential Day 2 option. General manager Nick Caserio might know what type of player he’s looking for up the middle.

North Carolina State linebacker Payton Wilson recently visited the Texans for a top 30 visit, according to KPRC2 Sports Aaron Wilson. Payton Wison is expected to be one of the first linebackers selected after three dominant seasons with the Wolf Pack.

Wilson dominated in his final season at NC State, earning All-American honors while winning ACC Defensive Player of the Year. In 13 games, Wilson totaled 138 tackles, 17.5 for loss, six sacks, three interceptions, a defensive touchdown and a forced fumble.

The fifth-year senior was more than a one-year phenom in Raleigh. In 2020, he recorded 108 tackles, 11.5 for loss, 3.5 sacks and two interceptions. A year later, he notched 82 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and one interception.

Wilson also won the Chuck Bednarik Award, given to the nation’s top overall defensive player. He also led the ACC in tackles in both 2020 and 2023.

At last month’s combine, Wilson solidified his draft stock as a top-three linebacker prospect, posting a 40-time of 4.33 seconds. He also posted a 34.5-inch vertical leap and a 9-foot-11 broad jump.

The Texans addressed the starting linebacker needs with the acquisition of former Titans’ standout Azeez Al-Shaair. They also return Christian Harris following a breakout season.

Second-year coach DeMeco Ryans will implement three linebacker sets. Outside of Al-Shaair and Harris, Henry To’oTo’o is the only player with a decent rep count.

The Texans, who own nine picks in next week’s draft, also hosted former Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper on a visit earlier this month.

Unpacking Future Packers: No. 22, NC State LB Payton Wilson

Up next in the Unpacking Future Packers draft preview is NC State linebacker Payton Wilson.

The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2024 NFL draft.

As it stands right now the Green Bay Packers have Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson as the notable linebackers on the roster. It’s a safe bet that Brian Gutekunst will use one of those five picks in the Top 100 on a linebacker.

A potential target is Payton Wilson. The North Carolina State linebacker checks in at No. 22 in the Unpacking Future Packers Countdown.

A four-star recruit, Wilson recorded 69 tackles, five tackles for loss and one interception after he redshirted in 2018. The following season, the North Carolina native recorded 108 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and two interceptions. Wilson played in just two games during the 2020 season after suffering a shoulder injury. 

In 2022, Wilson recorded 82 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and one interception. Wilson was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year after he recorded 138 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, three interceptions and six pass deflections.

“He was the heartbeat of our defense and football team,” Tony Gibson, the NC State linebackers coach, said. “His leadership set the tone every day on and off the field. His practice habits and effort were as good as I have ever seen in my 30 years of coaching. He was the best linebacker in college football and in my opinion the best defensive player in the country.”

Wilson plays like his hair is on fire. He’s like the Tasmanian Devil on the gridiron. He has strong hands and a high batting average as a tackler. Once he gets his hands on the opponent he’s taking them to the ground. Over the past two seasons, Wilson was tagged with just 12 missed tackles. 

Wilson has sideline-to-sideline range and is quick to erase any running lanes.  He has exceptional closing burst and takes appropriate angles to hunt down his prey. Watching the NC State linebacker in pursuit is like watching the National Geographic Channel. 

The former four-star recruit shows good instincts and always seems to be in on the action. He explodes downhill and finished the past two seasons with 30 tackles for loss. 

“He’s a very smart player so he understands how teams tried to attack us in the run game,” Gibson said. “He is also a very physical player and loves contact. He has the mindset that if he doesn’t make the tackle the play will go for a touchdown.”

Wilson has the movement skills to hold up in coverage. He has outstanding lateral agility and shows he can flip his hips and run downfield. 

Movement skills to hold up in coverage. He has outstanding lateral agility. He gets appropriate depth in his drops. He trusts his eyes and finished the past two seasons with four interceptions and nine pass deflections.

Wilson is also a very effective blitzer. During his final two seasons at NC State, he recorded 10.5 sacks and 51 pressures.

“He will be elite in coverage because of how athletic he is,” Gibson said. “He also can run in man coverage with any tight end in the NFL. In zone coverage he has great awareness and length and can break on the ball.”

It was no surprise that Wilson put on a show at the NFL Scouting Combine. A former multi-sport athlete, Wilson clocked a 4.43 40-yard dash. At his Pro Day, Wilson clocked a 4.20 short shuttle and a 6.85 three-cone. 

Wilson logged 287 snaps on special teams during his time at NC State and recorded six tackles.

Fit with the Packers

If the Packers feel comfortable with Wilson’s medicals, he could prove to be a steal on Day 2 of the draft.

The NC State linebacker is an alien athlete, who plays like he was the turbo button smashed down at all times. 

“The effort that he plays with and the passion he has for football are reasons why I would draft Wilson,” Gibson said. “He makes players around him better by the way he plays.”

Wilson closed out his collegiate career with a bang. He was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and earned the Butkus Award, which recognizes the best linebacker in college football.

If it weren’t for his medical history and to a certain extent his age (24), he’d be heralded by many draft pundits as a first-round talent. 

Wilson is an explosive athlete and has a well-rounded skill set that could see him develop into a four-down force. With the Packers having four Day 2 picks and a desperate need for another impact linebacker, Wilson to Green Bay makes a ton of sense.