NC State wide receiver Kevin Concepcion named ACC Rookie of the Year
In early November, NC State coach Dave Doeren sent a text message to freshman wide receiver Kevin Concepcion, who was the team’s leading receiver.
“‘Hey man, you’re doing a great job, let’s finish,” Doeren said he told his first-year sensation. “You’ve got your name on a lot of things because of how you’re going about it. It’s just one day at a time, one play at a time.”
Well, it appears Concepcion took that message to heart. He finished the year as the only player in the FBS to record 750-plus receiving yards and 250-plus rushing yards, which landed him the ACC’s Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year honors on Wednesday.
The Charlotte, N.C., native’s standout season landed him with All-ACC second team honors on Tuesday before he claimed one of the conference’s major awards a day later.
Concepcion quickly became NC State’s No. 1 wide receiver this fall, and he rose to the challenge in his first season of college football. He caught 64 passes for 767 yards and 10 touchdowns, while he added another 297 yards on the ground through 38 rushing attempts.
Concepcion holds the NC State true freshman record for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns for his dominant play in the 2023 campaign.
While he paced the team in both receptions and receiving yards, Concepcion had his first breakout game with six catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns at Virginia in Week 4. From then on, Concepcion was the engine that made the Wolfpack offense motor down the train tracks.
Concepcion followed that performance with eight catches for 102 yards and two more scores against Marshall two weeks later. After that, he did not have a game where he did not touch the ball at least eight times.
Top 10
- 1New
DeMarco Murray
PSU eyeing OU assistant
- 2
Alleged fraud
Australian pipeline to CFB
- 3
Paul Finebaum
CFB struggle to catch NFL
- 4Hot
Seven QBs in first 3 rounds
New NFL mock draft
- 5Trending
Bracketology
Big movement after turbulent week
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
The wideout soon became a hybrid player, which featured him in the backfield as a running back or receiving a handoff on a jet sweep. Concepcion eased into the running role with four attempts at Duke, but he ended the season with a combined 31 carries for 177 yards in the Pack’s final four games of the season.
Concepcion’s season-best performance came in the Wolfpack’s final contest of the regular season, a 39-20 rout of North Carolina, a team that pursued him on the recruiting trail in high school. The wide receiver caught seven passes for a fall campaign-high 131 yards and two touchdowns, while he recorded a season-most 11 carries for 55 yards.
He took a large role in the offense, including an even more expanded version after the Pack’s bye week, but Concepcion handled it like a pro. He did whatever was needed for the Wolfpack to win games, and graduate quarterback Brennan Armstrong took notice of it.
“It’s been super impressive,” Armstrong said earlier this season. “I’m super proud of him. You take beatings getting the ball that much, and he’s been staying strong. He’s been a huge asset for our offense. I think he enjoys it, so I think that’s what keeps him going — the next challenge, the next new thing that could be coming at him.”
Concepcion is likely to be the centerpiece of the Wolfpack offense moving forward, and he recently signed a new NIL deal with Savage Wolves for the 2024 season.
