NC State's selfless players embrace position changes, reap the rewards

BLACKSBURG, Va. —  NC State’s motto is hard, tough and together. It is on the front of the Wolfpack’s helmets, and is plastered throughout the Murphy Center in Raleigh. And over the past three weeks, the final piece of that message has been on full display within NC State’s offense.

Graduate quarterback Brennan Armstrong has been the ultimate teammate through the ups and downs of being the quarterback for the Pack, but there are two other players that have embraced NC State coach Dave Doeren’s “together” statement: redshirt sophomore Jordan Poole and freshman Isaiah Shirley.

Poole went from linebacker to running back, while Shirley went from the Pack’s defensive line room to tight end. 

Does Doeren look at it as a risk with position changes at this point in the season? No. 

“I look at it as putting the pieces in the right place,” Doeren said. “Scared money doesn’t make money. To me, some of these other guys are on film not getting it done. We could keep doing that, and that’s the definition of insanity, or we can put someone else in there and see if they can do it. That’s what we’ve done, and to our players’ credit, they want to just play. They don’t care what position they play.”

Poole made the switch from linebacker, a position he played for two and a half years with the Pack, to running back on his own accord. He asked Doeren if it was something that would be possible, and the coach agreed to do it. 

That conversation allowed Poole to see the field on offense outside of just his special teams duties. He embraced his role to become a primarily blocking back, but recorded his first-career touchdown on his first collegiate touch — a 12-yard reception — against Miami three weeks ago. 

Fast forward to this past week, and it was Shirley that stepped into a new role on NC State’s offense. He was recruited to the Pack as a defensive lineman, but when Doeren and company were preparing for Virginia Tech, they thought they could use a tight end to break off big runs. 

The only problem was they did not have a big, physical tight end that they were looking for in that scenario. Then Doeren had an idea. He approached offensive coordinator Robert Anae about moving Shirley to tight end, and the assistant was on board. 

Shirley stood out in practice at his new position with the Pack — he did play tight end at Watauga High with six receptions for 60 yards and a score, as well as many pancake blocks. 

When he checked into the game against the Hokies, Shirley made an impact right away. On his second offensive snap, he helped Armstrong bounce off his block and into the end zone for a 1-yad plunge. 

Graduate tight end Trent Pennix said he was overjoyed for Shirley, who he has to go up against in practice every day when the offense plays the scout team defense. That scout team defensive lineman has made life miserable for Pennix and company, and Doeren poked fun at it postgame.

“He’s been making life hell on our offense, so I was like, ‘You know what, why don’t you go make someone else’s life hell for a day?’” Doeren said. “Proud of him and happy for him.”

Poole and Shirley’s success after a position change allowed the Wolfpack to not only find a way for them to make an impact on the game, but Pennix thought it put the red and white’s depth on full display.

“It shows the amount of skill set we really have on this team,” Pennix said. “You can really play anybody on this team, not just one position. You can put them somewhere else, and they’ll excel from there.”

For Wolfpack graduate linebacker Payton Wilson, watching the younger players find unique roles on the team brought a smile to his face. Especially Poole, who he has worked out with in past summers since they were both in the linebacker room together. 

But now Poole is with the running backs, and he’s made quite the impact in a trio of games. 

“It makes me tear up every time I see him out there just because I know how long he’s waited, how much work he’s put in,” Wilson said of Poole. “Just to be able to see him and Shirley, it just really warms my heart.”

It does not just warm Wilson’s heart, however, the Wolfpack’s star defender thought it allowed the rest of the world to see the type of culture that Doeren has built in his 11 years at NC State. 

“I think that shows the character of this team,” Wilson said. “I think if you asked other guys on other teams to switch what they’ve been doing their whole life, you’d have lots of problems. Around here, it’s just ‘Yes sir, how can I help you?’ … Put someone out there, they’re going to make a play.”

Poole and Shirley have not just made a play here or there — they have both made a crucial impact to the new positions they’ve been thrust into. With the Wolfpack in the midst of a four-game winning streak, and 10 wins still on the table, the contributions from NC State’s selfless players will be key moving forward.