NC State football countdown to kickoff: 33
The NC State football season opener for 2023 is at Connecticut on Aug. 31 — or 33 days away. TheWolfpacker.com’s countdown for the season looks at the significance of the number 33 in Pack history.
NC State Football And The No. 33
• One of the intriguing young linebackers on the NC State football roster is No. 33 — Jordan Poole, a redshirt sophomore.
Poole became a top target for NC State after an excellent workout at the 2019 summer camp. Poole proved capable of running the 40-yard dash in under 4.6 seconds and posting impressive leaps on the camp circuit, including a 39.7-inch vertical at a Nike Camp.
After a lengthy recruitment that saw seven more Power Five offers come his way, Poole made a verbal commitment to NC State over Virginia Tech and enrolled early in the spring of 2021.
Poole played primarily running back at West Stanly High in Oakboro, N.C., and he also lined up at safety. At 6-foot, 225 pounds, Poole is at linebacker for NC State. He played every game last season on special teams, and an impressive spring game performance could have Poole in line for a more extended role.
• One of the most intimidating defenders in NC State football history was linebacker Vaughan Johnson, who wore No. 33.
In 1983, Johnson had 20 tackles against East Carolina, one of 10 Wolfpack players who have recorded at least 20 hits in a game. Johnson’s 162 tackles in 1982 still rank fifth most for a season at NC State, and his 384 hits from 1980-83 are sixth most ever for the Wolfpack.
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After being named a first-team All-American by The Sporting News and second-team by Associated Press in 1983, Johnson embarked on a successful NFL career, mostly with the New Orleans Saints.
Johnson’s five All-Pro selections in the NFL are the most-ever by a former NC State football player, and he was a four-time Pro Bowl selection. In 2000, Johnson received a spot in the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame.
Johnson passed away at the age of 57 from kidney disease on December 12, 2019.
• Led by freshman running back T.A. McLendon, the 2002 team that set a school-record with 11 wins also established a NC State record with 33 rushing touchdowns that season. McLendon accounted for 18 of them, an individual best for NC State in a year that would be tied by Reggie Gallaspy in 2018.
• The 1933 season was not one for scoring for NC State football. In fact, the 23 points scored that year and 2.5 points per game average still are and will almost certainly remain all-time lows in the history of the program.
