NC State’s developmental players continue to improve as season progresses

As NC State’s starters and key reserves were able to spend the Wolfpack’s open week away from the grind of football, the team’s developmental players were able to temporarily take their place on the practice field.

The Pack, which has thrived as a program full of homegrown talent, was able to see some of its younger players make strides with more opportunities during the program’s week off. Those reps, which are few and far between during the regular season, are crucial in evaluating the talent in the pipeline for the future. 

For coach Dave Doeren, the change of pace is welcomed as the Wolfpack’s routine players could get off their feet, while the lesser used were able to flash their growth. 

“It was good to see their progression since fall camp,” Doeren said Thursday as NC State’s home date with Stanford on Saturday afternoon approached. “It’s fun to see the body changes and the confidence.”

Doeren mentioned watching freshman linebacker Elijah Groves, who has continued to make strides with his knowledge of the defense, while freshman defensive lineman is up to 280 pounds. The 12th-year coach also noted that redshirt freshman quarterback Lex Thomas received a significant amount of snaps and freshman wide receiver Jonathan Paylor continued to grow as a true wideout. 

The Pack allowed the developmental players to scrimmage Tuesday, giving them live reps on the field that they otherwise would have to wait until spring practice to receive on a significant basis. Doeren seemed pleased with how the younger players have progressed to this point of the season. 

“Guys that travel, but aren’t getting game reps, we’re able to get guys significant work,” Doeren said. “It’s fun to see that.”

While the week of increased reps was a good litmus test for the Wolfpack’s developmental players, it could also continue to put them on the coaching staff’s mind moving forward. NC State is consistently evaluating the younger talent to see if they can be slotted into a game on special teams to give game reps and still preserve a redshirt. 

Doeren said special teams coordinator Todd Goebbel is always watching the scout teams to see if a lesser-used player could be beneficial to use on a particular unit. 

“We use the four games when we can based on our needs and how they can help us,” Doeren said. “We’re not going to take a guy off the field on special teams just to insert a guy. He has to show us that he’s capable of helping us. And if he does show us that, then we put him out there.”

So far to this point of the season, NC State has played four freshmen that are eligible for a redshirt on special teams. Freshman linebacker Zane Williams, who impressed during practices earlier this season, has played in four games (33 snaps on kickoff units and two on punt coverage), while freshman safety Ronnie Royal and Paylor have appeared in two games and freshman corner Asaad Brown made his NC State debut on punt return at Cal. 

That group, which can play in up to four regular season games plus a postseason contest to save a redshirt for the future, could continue to grow over the last four weeks. The Pack could opt to play the likes of Groves and others on special teams if they’re ready to go.

The special teams aspect of the Pack’s development process helps build confidence for younger players. That was evident for redshirt sophomore nickel Isaiah Crowell, who began the season as a special teamer and was ready to make an impact on the defense over the past two games. 

Doeren didn’t want to count out any player, but noted that they have to be 100% ready to make an impact before they trot onto the field. This past week’s worth of work could have made an impact on the coaching staff’s mind about a few players, but time will tell. 

“It’s an evolution. It’s a fast season, but a million things happen, and guys do develop and grow up during the season,” Doeren said. “Guys can get better throughout the year if they handle the developmental piece the right way.”