North Carolina State University Athletics
Football Preview, Part Six: Linebackers
7/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
July 22, 2003
The heart and soul of the 2002 Wolfpack defense was middle linebacker Dantonio Burnette. The second-leading tackler in school history, Burnette's leadership and work ethic was vital to the defense's success last season. Yet despite the heavy loss, the Pack returns a plethora of talented players at the linebacker positions.
"Our linebackers worked so hard in our offseason conditioning program and have really stuck together," Amato continued. "They're still young, but they've got a lot of experience and toughness."
Weakside linebacker Pat Thomas (6-2, 229, Jr.), the team's third-leading tackler with 106 stops in 2002, finished the season with his best game, tallying 13 stops in the Gator Bowl win over Notre Dame. Thomas started a dozen games as a sophomore and was in for 625 snaps for the season.
"The bowl game was like a highlight tape for Pat Thomas," said Amato. "He brought that same determination into the offseason conditioning program and we expect him to be a leader for the defense."
Roger Pollard (6-0, 216, Sr.), the only senior in the 2003 linebacking corps, will back Thomas at WILL this season, after starting six games on the strong side in 2002.
Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay (6-1, 224, Jr.) started games at both outside slots last season, playing 403 snaps and tallying the fifth-highest tackle total on the team with 86 stops. Also the team's top tackler on special teams with 21, Aughtry-Lindsay is listed as a possible starter at middle linebacker and strongside backer heading into fall camp.
"Freddie has earned the chance to start at linebacker, so we're going to try to find the spot where he can have the biggest impact."
In the middle, Oliver Hoyte (6-3, 230, So.) quickly earned a reputation as a hard hitter last season, and although he saw limited time in the middle behind Burnette (175 snaps), he was a demon on the Wolfpack special teams. Hoyte, who had three double-figure tackle totals, finished his freshman campaign on a high note, with a couple of key hits on a goalline stand in the Gator Bowl win over Notre Dame.
The tallest and fastest linebacker on the team, Manny Lawson (6-5, 216, So.), showed great improvement over the course of last season at the strong side. Most of his action came on special teams (he led the nation with three blocked punts), but he finished the season with nine stops in 21 plays at Notre Dame and had seven in 20 plays at Virginia.
Patrick Lowery (6-2, 228, *Fr.) and Travis Singletary (6-2, 235, *Fr.) both redshirted last season but gained valuable experience on the Wolfpack scout teams. Another young linebacker, Ernest Jones (6-3, 202, Fr.), graduated from high school in December and joined the Pack for the Gator Bowl.
