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NC State football keeps adding to list of top players returning

MattCarterby:Matt Carter•12/07/21•

TheWolfpacker

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Third-team All-ACC center Grant Gibson is returning to NC State football. (Photo by NC State)

The growing list of returning NC State football players is becoming more impressive.

The latest is third-team All-ACC center redshirt junior Grant Gibson, who had 40 pancake blocks during the regular season.

Gibson will use his Super Senior year, he posted on Twitter Tuesday evening.

Gibson broke out in 2020, when he was the ninth-best center in college football per Pro Football Focus (PFF). He is also one of the Wolfpack’s most valuable leaders and has been a two-year captain.

Gibson is the second All-ACC player to take advantage of an added year. First-team all-conference defensive tackle Cory Durden revealed he was coming back.

Durden, a redshirt junior, took over and flourished as the starting nose tackle when redshirt freshman C.J. Clark went down with an injury three games into the season. He finished the year with 31 tackles, including 4.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks, and added seven quarterback hurries.

Also coming back is redshirt junior linebacker Isaiah Moore, who was honorable mention All-ACC despite missing the final five contests of the year.

Moore, before suffering a knee injury, had 43 tackles, including five for loss and a sack. He added three pass breakups, an interception and seven quarterback hurries.

NC State football had previously learned that senior safety Cyrus Fagan, who transferred in with Durden from Florida State, was also returning for another year. Fagan was injured in week two of the season. He had nine tackles and a pick at the time of the injury.

Starting corner Derrek Pitts Jr., a transfer addition last offseason from Marshall, will also be back. The redshirt junior had 43 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, in 12 games. He also had two interceptions, six pass breakups (tied for team-high) and a quarterback hurry.

Thus far the only player to announce he was leaving NC State football with eligibility remaining is junior running back Ricky Person Jr. Person walked on Senior Day after announcing he was entering the NFL Draft. He rushed 135 times for 636 yards and five touchdowns and added 28 receptions for 240 yards and two more scores.

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