J-A and J-Mike Ready to Return

RALEIGH, N.C. - 612 days.

The two Wolfpack seniors look puzzled when asked if they know the significance of that number. They wrack their brains for a minute, then look at each other and shake their heads.

When told that number represents how many days will have passed since they played a football game when they finally take the field for the season opener, Johnathan Alston and JuMichael Ramos are speechless for a moment.

"That's almost two years," says Ramos.

"That's two long," Alston adds.

Despite the long stint away from competition, "J-A" and "J-Mike" hope to pick up right where they left off, both literally and figuratively. Ironically, they will don their Wolfpack uniforms in the same place they last took them off all those days ago.

At that time, the two were both wide receivers - friends since the summer of 2013 when they arrived on campus.

"It all started in Tucker," laughs Alston of the dorm where the freshmen live during the Summer Start program.

"All of the receivers who came in that year just clicked," adds Ramos.

Both young men enjoyed early success at NC State, as Alston saw action in seven games as a true freshman before dislocating his elbow against Florida State and Ramos played in 11 contests, earning the starting nod in two. He had three touchdown receptions that year, tying what was then a school record for a rookie.

After seeing significant action early in their careers, Alston and Ramos, who decided to become roommates as sophomores, expected to be long gone by the time the 2017 season rolled around. And certainly, when they took off their uniforms in the lockerroom at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte following the 2015 Belk Bowl, neither anticipated that more than 600 days would pass before they would be back in game action.

After a move to cornerback in the spring of 2016, Alston took a year to learn his new position. Ramos suffered a knee injury that would require two surgeries and an arduous rehab. The road back to the field was not an easy one for either of them.

"I couldn't even run a route," recalls Ramos. "I couldn't do anything. Mainly, I couldn't lead like I wanted to. The freshmen didn't know me, so I couldn't tell somebody what to do when they didn't even know what I was capable of doing. A leader can't just talk, he has to show and I couldn't do that.

"I tried to stay positive so I could still be a positiive role model. I just tried to come in with a positive attitude no matter what I was going through and take every day step by step."

For Alston, it was the same story for a different reason. "I was at cornerback - a new position," he says. "I couldn't really tell anybody what to do because I was like a freshman. I had to lead by my effort."

The weeks were tough. The weekends, however, were even tougher.

"I can't even explain it," says Alston. "It was game day and I couldn't do anything but watch the game. It hurt."

When the team played on the road, J-A and J-Mike headed to a local restaurant together to watch. "All we could do was cheer on the team and talk junk to fans of the others teams," laughs Ramos.

Both agree that having a friend going through the same thing made the year off easier to get through. "Definitely," Alston says. "Somebody I started with here was going through it too."

Now the two old (older than they ever thought they would be as seniors!) friends will be literally back where they left off. And they can't wait.

"It was a long wait, but it's time," says Alston. "I know it's going to be an adrenaline rush."

"Being able to get back on the field hit me hard emotionally when we started camp," Ramos adds. "Now the emotional part is gone and I'm ready to make plays for the team."

Players Mentioned

Johnathan Alston

JuMichael Ramos

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