North Carolina State University Athletics
2006 Spring Football Prospectus
3/23/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
March 23, 2006
Fundamentals.
Talk to NC State head football coach Chuck Amato about his goals for spring practice, and it won't be long before you hear that word.
"Fundamentals are the focus during spring drills," Amato said. "Every spring, we work on blocking and tackling and the little things that end up being the big things - the basics of football."
Amato and his staff are confident that a refresher course in fundamentals this spring will help them clearly identify which players will step into the holes left by departed talent on both sides of the ball, in particular at defensive line, linebacker and in the receiving corps.
After a 2-4 start to the 2005 season, NC State won five of its last six games, including a shutout win over South Florida in the Meineke Car Care Bowl to cap off the season. Although five starting linemen from both side of the ball have moved on, many of the skill players return to build on that momentum.
DEFENSE
The position hit the hardest by departures is the defensive front, as first-team All-ACC ends Mario Williams and Manny Lawson, as well as defensive tackle John McCargo, are all heading to the professional ranks. But despite those key losses, NC State has a number of options at defensive line.
"We are trying to get the right pegs in the right holes, especially at the defensive line" Amato said. "Obviously, losing three players on the defensive front is a big area to address, but we also have some returning players with a good bit of experience."
At tackle, the DE-fensive line, will be anchored by a couple of DEs - as in Demario and DeMarcus. DeMario Pressley (6-4, 293, Jr.), who started every game at tackle last season, is the top returning tackler-for-loss on the team with six last season. On the other side, DeMarcus "Tank" Tyler (6-2, 305, Sr.) started six games for the injured McCargo and was a starter in 2004. Behind those two experienced player, however, only Martel Brown (6-2, 290, R-Jr.) has any solid game experience.
"Demario and Tank both have great experience under their belts and they will now have to be the leaders on the defensive front. This spring, we expect some of those younger guys to step and show what they can do."
Of the six players listed on the depth chart at defensive end, only one, John Amanchukwu (6-4, 283, R-Sr.), saw playing time in 2005. Amanchukwu, who actually played tackle last season, enters spring drills as the starter at right end, while Willie Young (6-5, 230, R-Fr.), who redshirted the 2005 campaign, is working with the first team on the left side. Several other redshirts from a year ago, Quentin Brown (6-5, 245, RS-Fr.) Littleton Wright (6-6, 244, R-Jr.) and Matt Kushner (6-4, 241, RS-Fr.), will also see frequent reps this spring.
"With Manny and Mario gone, we are young and inexperienced at end," Amato continued. "We have talented young men out there and a lot of competition, so we have a ton of potential. Now we just have to see who is going to step up."
Amato also has concerns about filling the holes at linebacker, where he lost staples Oliver Hoyte and Stephen Tulloch. Pat Lowery (6-1, 242, R-Sr.) will shore up the middle linebacker spot after seeing extended action late in the 2005 season. LeRue Rumph (6-2, 225, R-Jr.) started nine games at the strong side last season and the starter's job there will be his to lose this spring. Ernest Jones (6-2, 217, R-Jr.), a veteran of the Wolfpack special teams who led the team in special teams tackles, will work this spring as the starter on the weakside.
"Not only do we need to solidify the starters, we need to develop depth at the linebacker spots. That will be a big key for us this spring."
Depth is also an area of emphasis in the secondary, where the Wolfpack returns three starters and eight scholarship players, but has little experience at the backup spots. Both safeties return from last season. An honorable mention 2005 All-ACC selection, Garland Heath (6-2, 225, Sr.) was the Pack's leader in interceptions as a junior, his first year as a starter, at the roverback, or `hidden linebacker' spot. His backup, DaJuan Morgan (6-2, 207, RS-So.) was in for 242 snaps on special teams last season, more than 50 snaps more than any other player.
Safety Miguel Scott (6-0, 203, Jr.) was slowed by a high ankle sprain midway through 2005, but still started 10 games. J.C. Neal (6-0, 191, So.), who came on strong on special teams as a rookie but saw limited action from scrimmage, will back him up.
At corner, A.J. Davis (5-10, 191, RS-Sr.) has a year as a starter under his belt, as well as three years of solid playing time. At the other corner, Jimmie Sutton (5-11, 181, RS-Jr) will enter spring as the starter, after starting two games last season when the Wolfpack opened in a nickel package. Phillip Holloman (5-11, 194, RS-Jr.) and Levin Neal (5-10, 191, So.) both have experience on special teams and will battle for time in the rotation as well.
"We have some proven players in our secondary with A.J., Garland and Miguel," said Amato, "but we don't have a ton of depth right now. We will work to develop that depth this spring and we also have several skill guys coming in this fall who could see early action."
OFFENSE
On offense, all of the losses came on the line and in the receiving corps. Three starting linemen from last season, both guards and a tackle, the starting tight end (who also led the team in receptions) and two starting wideouts have all moved on.
But on the bright side, the Wolfpack returns a talented and versatile backfield, led by the arm of quarterback Marcus Stone (6-4, 236, R-Jr.). Stone owns a record of 5-1 as a starter after taking over under center midway through the season.
"Marcus is better now than when the season ended and he is getting sharper each day on and off the field," Amato said of his signal caller. "He has been very focused this off-season and he will get his reps as the starter."
Amato also hopes to get frequent reps for backups Daniel Evans (6-2, 191, RS-So.) and Mike Greco (6-3, 220, *Fr.) this spring. "We want those young men to get more and more comfortable in the offense, and that only comes from repetition," Amato continued. "So we want to make sure we work those two young men in there as much as possible."
The tailback position may be one of the most solid spots on the team, boasting more players with game-breaking ability than can possibly line up at one spot. Because of that tremendous depth and talent, Amato and the coaching staff started working Darrell Blackman (5-1, 209, Jr.) at receiver during bowl practices and that transition has continued into the spring. Reggie Davis (6-0, 246, Sr.) has also shifted from tailback to the fullback or upback spot as Amato tries to spread the field with the Wolfpack's talented playmakers.
"It is senseless to have a backlog of players at one position and have five of them standing on the sidelines," Amato said. "As a staff, we want to get as many of those guys on the field at the same time as possible - your playmakers have to be on the field to make plays. They have all been unselfish about making changes, so we are trying different things this spring with the group."
Two talented sophomores, Andre Brown (6-0, 232, So.) and Toney Baker (5-10, 228, So.), return at halfback, with both coming off of impressive freshmen campaigns. Brown ran for 248 yards against Southern Miss, a freshmen record, and the second-highest Wolfpack total ever en route to leading the team in rushing. Baker led the team in rushing seven times and ranked second in rushing yards behind Brown for the season. Jamelle Eugene (5-10, 202, R-Fr.), who redshirted 2005, has also grabbed the attention of the head coach in early spring drills and will get his share of reps in the backfield.
"We saw what Andre and Toney are capable of and we expect even better things from them this year. But you better learn the name Jamelle Eugene as well," Amato said. "I tell you what, you can't tackle him. I don't know if we should call him a fast Emmitt Smith or a step-slow Warrick Dunn, but he is going to turn some heads."
Blackman will join a solid corps of receivers, some of whom are shifting between the various wideout spots. With 15 games as a starter under his belt, Lamart Barrett (6-1, 190, Sr.) leads the group in experience and will line up at the "X' or the "zebra" position. The fourth-leading receiver on last year's team, Barrett has become known as a dependable performer.
John Dunlap (6-2, 210, Jr.) was recovering from knee surgery last season, but is back to full capacity and has already shown his desire to be a playmaker in the early spring. Dunlap will play at both "Z" and "Zebra". Geron James (6-4, 185, RS-Fr.) has also recovered from injury after undergoing shoulder surgery last fall, and has the speed and skill to make an impact. Add 6-5 Kyle Newell (6-5, 223, Fr.) to the mix and Amato feels he has a great deal of ability, if not experience, at wide receiver.
"Lamart has been our most consistent performer and he is a strong route runner, perhaps the best on the team," Amato said. "We've got great talent in Geron James and John Dunlap and they are both finally healthy. Then you add Darrell Blackman to the mix and I believe we have a lot of talent at our wide receiver positions."
NC State lost two tight ends to graduation, T.J. Williams, who led the team in receiving each of the past two seasons, and John Ritcher. But Amato doesn't expect much of a dropoff at that spot, as he returns an emerging threat in Anthony Hill (6-6, 277, Jr.). Hill started the last 11 games of the 2005 season as the Wolfpack opened in a two tight end set. Hill caught 15 balls for 140 yards, the third highest returning totals on the team, and has gained a reputation as a `nasty' blocker. An improving Octavius Darby (6-2, 256, R-So.) will get his share of reps at tight end during drills as well, and will also see time at the upback spot.
The good news on the offensive front is that the Pack's top lineman from the last two years, Leroy Harris (6-3, 300, RS-Sr.) returns for his senior campaign. A 2005 Rimington watch list selection, Harris, who has started at guard and center during, has tallied 132 knockdown blocks over his career.
"Leroy is a solid, proven player on the line. But we have to identify our five best linemen this spring and then take them and move them around into the best positions," Amato said. "That is another one of our key goals for the spring."
James Newby (6-5, 295, RS-Sr.) started every game at left tackle in 2005 and has 18 starts in his career. He'll be joined by new starter Jon Holt (6-6. 296. RS-Sr.) at right tackle. Holt has one career start and has seen action from scrimmage as a backup and on field goal units in his career.
Both guard spots will be manned by players with at least some starting experience. Kalani Heppe (6-3, 300, RS-Jr.) has been hampered by injury during his career, but started five games last season, while Curtis Crouch (6-5, 344, So.) started the Maryland contest as a true freshman and played a season-high 60 snaps in the victory at No. 9 Florida State.
Backup center Luke Lathan (6-4, 292, RS-Jr.) has seen action in 321 snaps for his career, but the other seven backups listed on the prespring depth chart at offensive line have combined to play just 43 snaps from scrimmage. New offensive line coach Pat Meyer will have his hands full developing those inexperienced players.
"Finding depth on the offensive line is a big focus point for us this spring," said Amato. "But we have some young guys who redshirted last season and are really ready to get out there and see what they can do. "
KICKING GAME
In addition to working on fundamentals, spring is a time to refine the kicking game, says Amato, who has always been a proponent of excellent special teams units. NC State returns one of the ACC's best kickers in John Deraney (6-4, 224, R-Sr.), the only kicker in the league to rank among the top-10 in fields goals and punting average a year ago. Deraney's name is already etched all over the Wolfpack record books in scoring, field goals, PATs, and punting.
"John Deraney has been such a weapon for us on kickoffs, punt and placekicks," Amato said. "Darrell Blackman is a special player returning punts and kicks and we should be able to make things happen on both sides of the ball in the kicking game."
