Nose tackle depth key for NC State this fall
NC State defensive line coach Charley Wiles likes to have two or three deep at every position on his three-man front. That’s not a secret.
“You have to have depth, you can’t have drop off,” Wiles said Tuesday. “You want your first group [and] second group to be really close together. We had that last year. That’s been the goal through camp and what we’ll continue through this year for us to continue to improve and be consistent with the six, seven, eight guys we’re playing.”
But the nose tackle spot seemed a little uncertain going into fall camp.
CJ Clark started every regular season game in the middle of the Wolfpack’s defensive line last season, but he entered the transfer portal and landed at Miami. That allowed junior Brandon Cleveland to audition for the starting nose tackle during NC State’s Pop-Tarts Bowl appearance against Kansas State.
And, well, NC State saw all it needed to in that game.
Cleveland logged five total tackles with a career-best four solo stops in 56 snaps against the Wildcats. His snap count was more than double his career-high 24, which he did three times prior, and it almost matched his freshman year total (71).
Now, the starting nose tackle position belongs to Cleveland.
“Brandon has continued to work hard on his body position and his technique,” Wiles said. “He’s a hard out 1-on-1. He can win a 1-on-1 block, which is important. If they can single our nose, we’re probably in trouble. Just bigger, stronger, faster in our conditioning. He’s continued to improve.”
While Cleveland has risen from backup to the main focal point on the interior of NC State’s defensive line, the Wolfpack has spent the last six months looking to build depth behind him. So far, it seems like a successful offseason did just that, even after reserve Nick Campbell transferred to Appalachian State.
In order to build depth behind Cleveland, the Pack continued to develop redshirt sophomore DJ Jackson, who missed the last two seasons due to a knee injury (2022) and an achilles injury (2023) , and added Colorado transfer Chazz Wallace.
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Jackson seemed to make progress on the backup job in spring practice after Campbell departed through the transfer portal. Even though the Pack added Wallace, a veteran defensive tackle, after the spring game, it seems Jackson has secured the primary backup spot.
“DJ has improved remarkably from spring to fall,” Wiles said. “What he did this camp was solidify himself as a quality second guy at nose. With quickness, he’s different than Brandon. Where Brandon’s a little heavy-handed, a little thicker, DJ’s a little twitchier [and] a little more athletic from that standpoint.”
While Jackson is an unproven player at the collegiate level in games, Wallace has significant experience. In three seasons (two at Old Dominion and one at Colorado), Wallace has recorded 54 total tackles with four total sacks.
Although he may be the third nose tackle on the depth chart currently, Wallace’s ability to provide immediate quality depth will have him on the field this fall.
“Chazz from week one to week two in camp jumped a lot and we’re going to need Chazz,” Wiles said. “He’s going to play a significant role on the football field. But he improved through camp.”
