NC State WR Kevin Concepcion impressed in historic freshman campaign

At one point in the first half of NC State’s Pop-Tarts Bowl appearance against Kansas State on Thursday evening in Orlando, Fla., it appeared Wolfpack freshman wide receiver Kevin “KC” Concecpion was banged up. He was slow to come off the field after a tackle, but he was back on the field for the next play.

That happened a handful of times against the Wildcats, but that’s who Concepcion is. He has been used all over NC State’s offense, and at the end of the day, his goal is to help the team win as much as he can. 

For NC State coach Dave Doeren, it wasn’t a surprise to see that from his freshman sensation. But with the way the Wolfpack utilized him this season — from running back to slot receiver to outside receiver — the end of the season came at the right time for Concepcion. 

“[He’s a] super competitive guy and for the number of things he has had to do for our offense, he’s ready for the off-season,” Doeren said. “He got nicked up a little bit. It is hard to keep him out. He is a guy that wants to keep playing, wants to impact the game, wants to help his teammates.”

Though he battled some bumps and bruises in the 28-19 loss to the Wildcats, Concepcion was still able to make a rather large impact on the game. He had seven receptions for 72 yards, while he added another 23 yards on the ground through three carries in his postseason debut.

Concepcion’s near 100-yard game in total offense was just the final chapter in what has been an electric freshman season. The Charlotte, N.C., native dazzled for the Wolfpack in his first season of college football and was an integral part of its offense. 

The 5-foot-11, 187-pound wideout led NC State in receptions and receiving yards with 71 and 839, respectively. He was also the Wolfpack’s second-leading rusher with 320 yards on 41 attempts. Oh, and he had a 17-yard touchdown pass at Virginia Tech, too. 

Concepcion did it all for the Wolfpack, and as a new face on the offense, he earned offensive coordinator Robert Anae’s trust rather quickly. That led to the ball being placed in the first-year player’s hands at least five times in all but two of the team’s games, and he had a season-most 18 touches in the Pack’s 39-20 win over North Carolina.

“You could say he had the biggest impact on our team of any new player — he probably did,” Doeren said. “Age doesn’t mean they’re going to be better all the time, it just doesn’t.”

Though he entered the season without a snap of college experience as a true freshman, Concepcion started Week 1, which made him the youngest wideout to start the season opener in almost a decade. 

From there, the legend of “KC” grew. He was an effective slot receiver, who also spent a significant time in the backfield either on an end around, a pop pass or a hand off as a running back. 

Though the Wolfpack lined him up at five different positions on the field, Concepcion was able to grasp each concept that was thrown at him. Concepcion played 469 snaps lined up in the slot, 38 in the backfield, 34 as an outside receiver, 10 at quarterback and seven as an inline player, according to Pro Football Focus.

The wide receiver’s ability to add more and more to his plate in his first year of college football stuck out to graduate quarterback Brennan Armstrong, a sixth-year player. 

“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 was successful with an added load to his role in the offense. He set the NC State football record for a freshman for most receptions (64) and touchdown catches (10), and he was named the ACC Rookie of the Year. Concepcion broke Koren Robinson’s catch record (48, 1999) and Kelvin Harmon’s touchdown mark (5, 2015) this fall. 

Concepcion was also the only FBS player to record 750-plus receiving yards and 250-plus rushing yards during the regular season. He became the first player to accomplish that feat since 2021 and the first from the ACC since the 2015 campaign.

But what makes Concepcion special? Let Anae, the mastermind behind the various ways that the Wolfpack used Concepcion this season, explain.

“I’ve asked him that question,” Anae said before the Wolfpack left for the Pop-Tarts Bowl. “In his own words, it’s just desire and heart. Desire and heart, that’s how he described it, so I’ll leave it at that.”

That was a solid recipe for success in this fall, and Concepcion will likely try to build off of it heading into the 2024 campaign.