North Carolina State University Athletics
PEELER: LB Cole Bigger, Ready to Hit
8/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Editor's note: This story appeared in the August, 2009, edition of The Wolfpacker. It was reprinted with permission from Coman Publishing, Inc.
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. – Audie Cole remembers when his dad dropped him off for his freshman year at college, back when he was just a skinny quarterback from Monroe, Mich., getting ready to play a new position for a new coach in a totally new environment.
"You're going to get your [butt] beat up down here," his dad said.
But that was two years ago. Since then, the converted signal-caller has added nearly 50 pounds of muscle to his athletic, 6-foot-5 frame. He's learned the nuances of playing linebacker, a position he had never played before his senior year in high school. With a strong spring practice, Cole is now in line for a starting job, stepping into the position left vacant by departed veterans Robbie Leonard and Ryan Goodman.
After two years of adjusting to all the changes in his life, Cole believes he is ready for the challenge.
"Last year, I really didn't know my right from my left," Cole said. 'Everything was completely new to me. It's different now."
Nothing was quite like his first real experience on the field, 30 plays in the 27-24 loss at Maryland that account for almost the sum total of his playing experience at linebacker for the Pack. He recorded five tackles in the game, but gained a season's worth of knowledge about the speed of the college game.
"The Maryland game was my first real time on the field," said Cole, who recorded most of his 14 tackles last year while playing on special teams. "Everything was moving so fast, it was like blur out there. That first series, I had no idea what was going on. I was on the sidelines afterwards saying 'Man, that was quick.'"
His father's prophecy seemed to be coming true.
Even though he was in on only three more defensive plays the rest of the season - rising star Nate Irving returned to the lineup against Duke, moving Cole down the depth chart at weakside linebacker - Cole benefitted from his experience and his one-year internship playing with the varsity. He entered spring practice with confidence, and finished atop the organizational chart at strongside linebacker.
"Everything has really slowed down for me and it is all so much easier now," Cole said. "I got settled in last season, and during the spring I realized what I was actually doing."
Cole will need that confidence when the season begins on Sept. 3 in a Thursday night game against South Carolina. The Wolfpack linebacker corps, already needing to replace Leonard and Goodman, suffered a big blow during the summer when Irving was involved in a car accident. His availability for his junior season is up in the air.
That will present additional opportunities for Cole and Terrell Manning at strongside linebacker, Ray Michel and Sterling Lucas at middle linebacker and Dwayne Maddox at weakside linebacker.
It's similar to last year, when the linebacking corps seemed to be one of the big question marks going into the season. It received even more scrutiny while Irving, one of the team's hardest hitters and most productive tacklers, missed a third of the season with an injury.
"It seems like we are back to that situation that we were in last year, without a lot of experience," Cole said. "But everyone kind of acts like they have been there and they have a lot of experience. We all understand what is going on and what we have to do.
"I don't think, at this point, anyone would be shocked or overwhelmed if we are put into a game and asked to contribute."
That's definitely a change for Cole, who reluctantly accepted after his Monroe High School was over that he would not play quarterback again, despite his impressive passing numbers (3,285 passing yards and 23 touchdown passes in his career). He talked to several coaches about the possibility of playing defense, including then-Boston College coach Tom O'Brien.
He particularly liked how O'Brien's staff talked honestly about their desire to move him to defense, even though he wasn't sure that's what he wanted.
"When they were recruiting me, I knew I wanted them to be my coaches," Cole said. "They seemed down to earth. They didn't beat around the bushes like some coaches. They pretty much told you what they wanted you for and what they wanted you to do. They didn't blow smoke."
When O'Brien and his staff left Boston for Raleigh, Cole decided to head south as well, even though he didn't know much about the subtle differences in geographic locations. He just knew he liked the winters better here than in Michigan.
"It was a little weird when I first got here," Cole admitted. "The only rivalries I ever really knew about were Michigan-Ohio State or Michigan-Notre Dame. I didn't know anything about the rivalries down here."
But, like his new position, he's learning.
And he's catching the eyes of his teammates, who expect Cole to be an important part of the Wolfpack's defensive success this season.
"When Audie got here, you could look at him and tell that he was a ball player," said senior defensive end Willie Young. "I remember when he first got here, I thought he might be one of the guys who played right away, as true freshman.
"But, hey, I'm still hearing that myself."
Young was impressed with what he saw from the young player, especially in the spring.
"He came out here in the spring game and lit the place up," Young said. "He showed the kind of athlete he really is. He has great communication skills. And I think his experience as a quarterback helps him understand what the defense is doing. He can go out there and think like a quarterback."
Cole knows that quarterback is a much more mental position, and that he has to be more physical at linebacker. That was one of the biggest adjustments he had to make.
"When you practice at quarterback, there is a lot of making reads and thinking, but you never get hit," Cole said. "There is a lot of those same reads at linebacker, but you are beat up by the end of the day. There are still a lot of mental things to take care of. The first year and a half I was here, I couldn't comprehend that.
"Midway through last season, it just really began to click for me."
There are still things that Cole needs to work on, like his pass drop and his footwork. He still takes a few time-wasting false steps every now and again. He knows that if he works on those little things, his overall game will continue to improve.
And there will be less of a chance for his father's prediction coming true.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
