NC State football countdown to kickoff: 4
The NC State football season opener for 2022 is at East Carolina on Sept. 3 — or 4 days away from Tuesday. The Wolfpacker continues its countdown for the season with notes about the number 4.
Subscribe to The Wolfpacker today for a limited-time $1 deal for a year of premium access
4: Significant notes involving the number 4 in NC State football history
• He may not have had a NFL career like many of his brethren at #QBU, but former NC State quarterback Jamie Barnette left his mark in Raleigh while wearing No. 4.
From 1996-99, Barnette threw for 9,461 yards, still third most in NC State history, as is his 9,638 total yards. He is also fifth with most touchdown throws at 59, although a healthy Devin Leary will likely pass Barnette this fall. Leary needs 9 touchdown throws to get to 60.
Barnette led the ACC in passing yards in 1998 with 3,182 and was named second-team All-ACC that season.
Barnette and his successor Philip Rivers are the only two NC State quarterbacks to lead the team in passing yards all four years they played in Raleigh.
• No number on the NC State football roster has as many people wearing the digit than No. 4.
On offense, third-year sophomore receiver Porter Rooks dons the jersey.
Rooks was a highly touted prospect in the 2020 class. The On3 Consensus had him at No. 237 nationally and the No. 8 player in the state of North Carolina. Rooks was one of the earliest pledges for NC State football recruiting that year, choosing the Wolfpack shortly after his junior season at Providence Day in Charlotte ended. Rooks would spend his senior year at Myers Park High, also in Charlotte.
Rooks is expected to be an important contributor on the NC State offense. He has 47 career receptions for 574 yards over his two seasons thus far in Raleigh, playing in all 24 games. Rooks plays primarily in the slot.
• Defensively, the projected starter at the strong safety spot is super senior Cyrus Fagan, who may actually be the most highly touted recruit on the NC State football roster. Fagan signed with Florida State out of Mainland High in Daytona Beach, Fla. In the 2017 class, Fagan was listed by the On3 Consensus as the No. 93 player in the country and the No. 19 prospect in talent-rich Florida.
Top 10
- 1Breaking
DJ Lagway
Florida QB to return vs. LSU
- 2
Dylan Raiola injury
Nebraska QB will play vs. USC
- 3
Elko pokes at Kiffin
A&M coach jokes over kick times
- 4New
SEC changes course
Alcohol sales at SEC Championship Game
- 5
Bryce Underwood
Michigan prepared to offer No. 1 recruit $10.5M over 4 years
Fagan struggled to live up to those expectations at Florida State, although he did emerge as a part-time starter in 2019, when Fagan had 41 tackles and an interception.
A transfer to NC State following the 2020 season seemed to have sparked Fagan, however. He played as a reserve in Week 1 last year, but after intercepting a pass in the opener was elevated to starting strong safety in Week 2 at Mississippi State. There, Fagan suffered a season-ending injury.
• The last player on the NC State football roster to have No. 4 is defensive back Cecil Powell, whose future is uncertain.
The one-time Baylor commit was one of the final additions to the NC State football recruiting class in 2019 and immediately impressed. He played both ways as a true freshman, catching four passes for 30 yards and making 16 tackles, including assisting on one for a loss.
In 2020, Powell became a part-time starter at corner and finished the campaign with 47 tackles, including 3.5 for loss, and four pass breakups.
However, that once-promising career has hit a snag after he missed last season and this spring with an injury. His status for the 2022 season remains unknown, but teams are not allowed to have two players on the field wearing the same number. That suggests Powell may not be in the immediate plans for NC State.
