NC State DE Davin Vann steps up into leadership role, hungry for more in final season

NC State senior defensive end Davin Vann had a choice to make shortly after the Wolfpack’s Pop-Tarts Bowl appearance in late-December. Did he want to forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the NFL draft or return to Raleigh for a fifth season?

Vann talked with professional scouts about his standing in this year’s draft, and they told him he’d likely be a fifth- or sixth-round pick. That left him wanting more, so he decided to suit up in NC State’s red and white for one more season. 

“I didn’t really like what round they had me going,” Vann said earlier this week. “I felt there was a lot more I could do before I left here. Those were the biggest factors coming back.”

The Cary, N.C., native grew up just down the road from Carter-Finley Stadium and he has flourished as a part of the Wolfpack’s defense. He posted a career-best 42 total tackles with 5.5 sacks last season as the Pack’s premier pass rusher, but Vann wants to see another jump this coming season. 

Vann noted the biggest piece he is working on ahead of the 2024 campaign is his consistency on the field from the first snap to the last. 

“Just work on finishing,” Vann said. “My biggest issue right now is I kind of fade out during games. I don’t really stay consistent throughout the game, so I guess consistency [is the focus].”

While Vann knows what he needs to do on the field, he was had an upward trajectory in terms of his leadership off of it. The 6-foot-2, 280-pound defensive end earned the No. 1 jersey before last season, which goes to “a player who exhibits an elite work ethic and practice and training habits, while also leading his teammates.”

Though he is viewed as a leader — and is back in the No. 1 jersey this season — Vann has had to work on coming out of his shell a little bit. He is still working to improve on speaking in front of the entire team and he said that doing media still makes him nervous at times. 

But he has taken a big step forward in those departments over the past couple of years. 

“I think I’m more vocal now,” Vann said. “I don’t really like to talk too much. … But I think getting comfortable stepping in front of the team, being able to talk to multiple people at once, that’s something I’ve grown with.”

Vann’s leadership abilities will be important this season. Linebacker Payton Wilson held a large vocal leadership role last season, but he’s off to the NFL draft. That left a void on the defense, but it seems like Vann has stepped into it with some assistance from graduate cornerback Aydan White, graduate safety Devin Boykin and senior linebacker Devon Betty.

“He’s done a great job all winter long, in workouts and just in team settings, of being that guy stepping up to the front,” NC State Defensive Coordinator Tony Gibson said of Vann. “We’ve got some vets that help him out, but he’s kind of taken that lead role. … It’s good to see him be in that leadership role.”

While that quartet of veterans have taken a leadership role within the defense, Vann said “it’s a little weird” being one of a few older guys on that side of the ball. Though that is the case, he has embraced being able to lead with his voice and by example. 

“I’d say it’s really exciting just because of however many older guys we have on defense, we set the tone, set the standard and lead by example,” Vann said. “We’re able to not really build a new culture, but build off a culture that we had before.”

Vann, who returned to NC State for one more season to grow on the field, is not just pushing himself. His mindset is to make everyone around him better, which in turn would be beneficial for the entire defense. 

Junior defensive tackle Brandon Cleveland, who is competing for the starting nose tackle spot next to Vann, raved about his veteran teammate’s ability to lead. 

“Davin’s definitely a great leader in the room,” Cleveland said. “He pushes us and he’s just never satisfied.”