NC State football countdown to kickoff: 53
The NC State football season opener for 2022 is at East Carolina on Sept. 3 — or 53 days away from Tuesday. The Wolfpacker continues its countdown for the season with a note about the number 53.
53: Significant moments involving the number 53 in NC State football history
• An important member of the NC State football team upfront on the offensive line is fifth-year redshirt junior offensive lineman Derrick Eason, and he wears No. 53.
The 6-foot-4, 315-pounder from Norfolk, Va., was recruited to play defensive line after an eventful recruitment. Eason was a summer-time commitment to NC State, but he surprised even the Wolfpack when he chose not to sign during the early December signing period.
That happened to be the first time that the NCAA allowed the prospects to ink in December rather than February, and Eason quickly discovered what others realized, too: available players after December would be in high demand.
Notre Dame and Miami made aggressive pushes on Eason, with the Fighting Irish in particular emerging as a threat to NC State. Eason took an official visit to South Bend, and a late switch appeared imminent, but Eason surprised once again when he decided to come full circle and sign with NC State.
After redshirting, Eason made a switch to offensive line during preseason camp in 2019. Last season, Eason emerged as one of the top reserves and filled in as a starter for the final six games after Chandler Zavala went down with an injury.
Zavala’s return after winning an appeal for a sixth season may impact whether or not Eason is back in the starting lineup, but undeniably Eason will be one of the top seven offensive linemen on the NC State roster. With at least three potential starters certain to leave after the 2022 season, should Eason decide to use his Super Senior year option he would be in line for a bigger role in 2023.
• One of the best tacklers in school history wore No. 53.
There is an exclusive list of players who have piled up at least 400 tackles at NC State, and Robert Abraham (1978-81) was one of them. Abraham’s 183 tackles as a senior remains the second-best single-season total in NC State football history, and his 407 career tackles are fourth all-time.
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After college, Abraham was drafted in the third round by the Houston Oilers and would play six seasons in the NFL, starting for four of those years.
• In 1953, the ACC debuted as a conference, and in its first season , NC State football went winless in the league, losing all three ACC games while going 1-9 overall. That would be the last of two seasons as head coach for Horace Hendrickson.
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