NC State Newsstand: Pack lands pair on ESPN’s Top 90 college QBs since 2000 list
There have been hundreds of college quarterbacks to play at the Division I level since the turn of the century, many of which have had standout careers at their respective institutions. But ESPN’s Bill Connelly ranked the top 90 signal-callers from the 2000s, and NC State landed a pair on the list.
Connelly, who included Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield and Auburn’s Cam Newton as the top two since the year 2000, ranked former Pack standouts Philip Rivers (No. 25) and Russell Wilson (No. 30) on his all-encompassing list.
Rivers, who threw for 13,484 yards with 95 touchdowns and 34 interceptions during his time with the Wolfpack, is one of the most synonymous quarterbacks with the NC State program. His name is displayed inside Carter-Finley Stadium, while his jersey is an honored number.
Wilson, meanwhile, was ranked highly on the list due to his ability to be a stellar quarterback for a pair of programs. He starred in Raleigh, throwing for 8,545 yards with 76 touchdowns, while he added 1,083 rushing yards and 17 scores on the ground, before transferring to Wisconsin for his senior season.
The Richmond, Va., native’s ability to alter the course of a pair of programs might be one of the more-impressive feats prior to the transfer portal era — where this seems almost commonplace now.
“Wilson was so good in three years at NC State that he had his number honored; he then moved to Wisconsin as a grad transfer and led the Badgers to a Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl bid,” Connelly wrote. “How many guys can claim to be an all-time great at two different schools?”
Wilson, like Rivers, has an honored number at NC State, where a legacy patch is affixed to those that elect to don it on the gridiron. Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey wore Wilson’s No. 16 last season as a freshman, but changed to No. 11 (his high school number) going into his sophomore campaign.
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Tweets of the day
NC State hosted five-star shooting guard Matthew Able on an official visit this past weekend.
Pack football did, in fact, host four-star quarterback Gunner Rivers, Philip’s son, for a recruiting visit on Friday.
NC State quarterback target Femi Babalola earned Under Armour Camp MVP honors at the Nashville event on Sunday.
Quote of the day
NC State women’s basketball coach Wes Moore has to replace senior guards Aziaha James, Madison Hayes and Saniya Rivers going into the offseason. He’s confident that he will be able to make this a seamless transition going into the transfer portal.
“It’s tough right now seeing them walk out the door, it’s a lot of talent, but it’s happened, we’ve done it before,” Moore said. “And culture doesn’t graduate. So hopefully we can keep it going.”
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