Tanner Ingle becomes an 'old head' for NC State football
NC State football super senior safety Tanner Ingle had a primary goal going into the 2021 season: stay on the field. After being ejected three times for targeting during the prior year, Ingle was forced to miss the Gator Bowl loss to Kentucky.
There was a clear difference for the NC State defense when Ingle was on the field compared to when he wasn’t. So, Ingle spent the offseason prior to his fourth year in Raleigh focusing on playing with what he called “controlled fire.”
That paid off, although Ingle can remember one moment where he dropped back into old habits — the spring game when his teammate, fourth-year junior linebacker Drake Thomas, got in the way of what would have been a crushing hit.
“Drake got the brunt of it,” Ingle admitted.
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The increased focus for Ingle paid off, and he was named first-team All-ACC after having 82 tackles (including 3.5 for loss), four pass breakups and an interception. That left Ingle with a decision to make, with one option being to call it a career for NC State and move on to try to make the NFL.
Or, because the NCAA froze eligibility in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ingle could come back as a super senior for NC State.
“I sat and thought about it for a while,” Ingle recalled.
“It was an easy decision for me. Once I sat down and said a prayer, I knew what I wanted to do right away.”
Ingle credited three reasons for coming back, led by a desire to get his degree in sports management.
“Two, we just have a really good thing going on right here,” Ingle added.
Then there are the bonds that Ingle has created, especially on defense. Ingle noted the 4-8 season that he and others endured in 2019 was part of a “shared adversity” that many of the veterans have been through.
“We have a brotherhood here, a family here, and that also weighed into my decision, too,” said Ingle.
Another Preseason Camp For Tanner Ingle
For Ingle, Wednesday’s first practice of preseason camp was a nice opportunity to reacquaint with some of those players on defense. Ingle was among only a handful of full-time starters to stay healthy enough to be on the field on a weekly basis.
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“Halfway through the season, I barely knew who was on the field with me,” Ingle joked. “I just knew I had to coach up who was out there with me.”
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One of those back with Ingle is fellow super senior Isaiah Moore, a linebacker who had a season-ending knee injury in game No. 7 last fall, a one-point loss at Miami.
Ingle noted that Moore “runs our defense.” Thus, probably not surprising to learn that this past offseason, Ingle had a new emphasis. He would spend upwards to two hours studying film, at times with Moore.
“I wanted to understand how to break stuff down and what he looks at,” Ingle explained.
As Ingle wrapped up his practice Wednesday, being out there for a fifth season did not seem awkward to him.
“I kind of feel more like an old head,” Ingle noted. “I feel more like an older guy out there, but other than that, just the same, old routine.”
Tanner Ingle is maybe older, but he’s also wiser, a maturation that Ingle proved last fall and hopes to carry over into 2022.
