NC State’s running backs have a new attitude entering the 2024 campaign

NC State’s running back room has a new look from a year ago. The Wolfpack lost three players at the position due to the transfer portal, but it reloaded its tailback group with two highly sought after transfers and a pair of freshmen. 

Duke transfer Jordan Waters made the short drive down I-40 to NC State, while Oklahoma transfer Hollywood Smothers returned to his home state after one year with the Sooners. True freshmen Jayden “Duke” Scott and Isiah Jones also arrived in Raleigh to add more depth to an already talented position. 

That, paired with sophomore Kendrick Raphael back in the fold for the second-straight year, has the Pack’s running back position bolstered. While it has depth going into the 2024 campaign, NC State’s ball carriers also boast a new attitude after the position overhaul. 

“I think more than anything, that room has transformed its attitude,” NC State offensive coordinator Robert Anae said earlier this week. “The attitude of all the players is unselfish, and they’re all ready to contribute. That’s not common in running back rooms. This year, this group is different in that regard.”

So what does this new attitude look like?

“The attitude in our room is very nasty,” Raphael said with a smile. “It’s a good, positive atmosphere to be in.”

A year ago, NC State dealt with Jordan Houston redshirting after the first three games to enter the transfer portal. That pushed Raphael, a freshman at the time, into a key role early in his collegiate career. 

Although Raphael was viewed as the Wolfpack’s top option in the backfield, he finished the season third on the team in rushing — behind quarterback Brennan Armstrong and wide receiver Kevin “KC” Concepcion. That wasn’t the ideal scenario to have with the leading running back finishing with 309 yards and one score on 67 carries, but NC State managed to utilize its other playmakers. 

Now, entering the 2024 season, the new-look room has the Pack excited. Waters projects to be the Wolfpack’s workhorse, while Smothers is battling for snaps with Raphael for the second running back spot. 

Those two transfer portal additions appear to have Raphael’s competitive juices flowing. While he likely will not be the top option with Waters in Raleigh, Raphael is competing at his highest level in fall camp. 

“Having them around keeps me on my toes, so I can go out there and play the best, do the best,” Raphael said of the transfer portal additions. “Also, learn from them and just do the best for the team.”

Learning from his teammates seems to be a new theme of this year’s running back room, as Anae alluded to. The group appears to be tight knit and they have been able to help each other during practice, even though the running backs are all competing for the same snaps. 

That was a key trait that NC State coach Dave Doeren has also noticed being different this year.

“There’s competition,” Doeren said. “The guys have worked hard. Bringing in Jordan, an older player, allowing Kendrick to have a guy like that to help him off the field. Kendrick did a great job in the offseason building his body up. … It’s an experienced and young group that has leadership and brotherhood. Those guys really do a nice job helping each other.”

Now, as the Wolfpack prepares for a fall filled with high expectations, Anae is looking for ways to use multiple running backs on the field together. NC State has the talent and skill set to do it, and the threat of Waters and Raphael together on the field with Concepcion out wide could have opposing defenses scrambling. 

That’s exactly what Anae and the Wolfpack offense want to accomplish this season.

“My job with great kids, great players, is to find formations to get more than one running back on the field,” Anae said. “We started down that road. I am pushing that envelope to get more running backs on the field because of who those kids are.”