NC State announces Rakeim Ashford to be discharged from hospital after scary incident vs. UConn

NC State safety Rakeim Ashford will be discharged from the hospital Friday after a hit during a kickoff return Thursday resulted in him being carted off the field.

The Wolfpack announced the positive update on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Great news on Rakeim Ashford. Testing was normal and he will be discharged from Hartford Hospital and travel home later today,” NC State posted.

Great news on Rakeim Ashford. Testing was normal and he will be discharged from Hartford Hospital and travel home later today.

— NC State Football (@PackFootball) September 1, 2023

The play happened in the third quarter of the Wolfpack’s 24-14 victory over UConn in Thursday’s season opener at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn.

Ashford took a late hit on a kickoff return, and Huskies defensive back Isiah Davis received a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty for the hit.

The fifth-year player was down on the field for 10 minutes following the hit before leaving on a stretcher. He did have movement in his extremities as he was taken off the field.

NC State's Rakeim Ashford was down on the field for 10 minutes before being taken off the field on a stretcher.

He gave a thumbs up to the crowd. pic.twitter.com/kZyM6uvrUI

— The Comeback (@thecomeback) September 1, 2023

Ashford was a key contributor to the Wolfpack’s special teams unit last season, playing on 145 special teams snaps. He entered the season as a backup free safety on defense.

While Ashford’s injury was an unfortunate sight, NC State’s night ended with a victory celebration as it defeated UConn in its season opener.

Transfer quarterback Brennan Armstrong paved the way for the Wolfpack offense. He threw for 155 yards in his first start along with 96 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.

The NC State defense held the Huskies offense in check as well, allowing only 273 yards and holding UConn to only 4 of 12 on third downs.

It wasn’t a perfect start to the season for NC State but it was a step in the right direction for a team looking for a good season. ACC Network analyst Roddy Jones named the Wolfpack as a wild card team in the ACC entering the year.

“My biggest question, offensively, is where are the offensive playmakers at the skill positions? Because Brennan Armstrong transfers over from Virginia, reunites with Robert Anae, who was his offensive coordinator at Virginia two years ago when he threw for 4500 yards in 10.5 games, basically. Anae spent the year at Syracuse, now comes down to NC State, and I think that if they find playmakers at the skill positions, they could be really good on offense and probably leapfrog the two that I just mentioned,” Jones said.