Brayden Narveson: 'It would be pretty cool to win the Groza two years in a row'
NC State kicker Brayden Narveson knows he has a lofty bar to meet going into the 2023 football season. After winning the Wolfpack’s starting kicker job, he will officially be the player to follow Christopher Dunn, who punctuated a historic career with a nearly perfect 2022 campaign.
Dunn converted 28 of 29 field goal attempts during his fifth year with the program, winning the Lou Groza Award and receiving All-American honors. Narveson transferred to NC State from Western Kentucky, where he spent three seasons before making the jump back to the Power Five level.
He acknowledged the high standard Wolfpack specialists hold, but he does not feel any pressure from it.
“It’s the same thing every year, the same kick that you kicked in your backyard,” Narveson said. “That’s what we do. Somebody always has to follow the great and, how I look at it is, it would be pretty cool to win the Groza two years in a row.”
The graduate student from Scottsdale, Arizona, has known Dunn for years. He complemented the former Pack star’s skill and said he looks forward to meeting the expectations that his longtime friend set.
Going into the summer, Narveson was not a lock to start at placekicker. Collin Smith, a redshirt-junior who will once again handle kickoff duties this year, pushed him for that spot.
“Collin is a great kicker,” Narveson said. “He earned the right to be in that competition, and I think, if you don’t want to compete for the job, you’re not in the right sport.”
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Narveson has professional aspirations, and he knows the friendly competition with Smith and redshirt-freshman Kanoah Vinesett will help prepare him for the NFL.
“Going into, hopefully, playing at the next level next year, you’re going to have to compete for everything you’ve got,” Narveson said. “He pushed me, I pushed him and it was back and forth. It wasn’t just Collin either. Kanoah is a really, really good kicker…
“We’re competing, but we’re still good friends at the end of the day.”
During his three seasons with Western Kentucky, Narveson was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist in 2020 and a two-time all conference selection. He hit 15 of 21 field goals for the Hilltoppers as a senior. Narveson started his career at Iowa State.
The kicker moved to Raleigh earlier this year and pointed out that a different vibe to the city compared to Western Kentucky, which reminds him more of his home in Arizona. He is enjoying the atmosphere surrounding his final season of college football.
“It has been great,” Narveson said. “I love every part of Raleigh.”
