North Carolina State University Athletics
PEELER: Imposing Crisp Hopes to Contribute
8/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 14, 2010
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. -
At 6-foot-8, 300 pounds, Crisp is hard to miss. While it may be a little early to determine whether he will play for the Wolfpack this fall, he brings the credentials, the girth and the know-how to contribute immediately.
Crisp, the top-rated high school football recruit in the state and one of the best offensive line prospects in the nation last year, is perhaps the most decorated member of head coach Tom O'Brien's fourth recruiting class. He made a splash during his career at Chapel Hill High and Athens Drive and earned even more attention during his play in the U.S. Army All-Star Game in December.
Now, however, he's like every other member of the freshman class: Trying to catch up with the returning veterans and earn a little playing time. That's not an easy thing for any freshman, but it is particularly hard for an offensive lineman.
"It's pretty unusual," O'Brien said. "You have to be a special type of person to do it. You're make up has to know that you may not be successful every time because you are learning on the run. That's a hard thing to do as a freshman.
"You have to be pretty talented to do that."
But on a squad that lost three senior starters from last year and is still missing injured sophomore R.J. Mattes, there is definitely an opportunity for Crisp to contribute this season.
"He's everything we thought he was when we recruited him," said the coach. "He has a chance to be an All-Pro left tackle one day. He looks like he has those skills. Right now, his head's swimming, with all the different things that are going on and all the movement of the defense.
"But he has that make up that he doesn't get down, that he goes back to the huddle and he forgets about the last play and goes on to the next one."
Crisp might be the most physically imposing and impressive player on the roster since Mario Williams was taken as the No. 1 pick in the 2006 NFL draft. He's added some weight since high school and toned his body. But he fully recognizes that he has a long way to go to earn a spot on the field when the Wolfpack plays its first game on Sept. 4 against Western Carolina at Carter-Finley Stadium.
"I want to play as much as possible," he said. "Right now, though, I am just working and trying to improve. At this point, it is all mental. If you go out there with the mindset you are going to work just as hard as everybody else and you do that, you create your own opportunities.
"Right now, everybody is pretty much equal. We are all working hard in camp. We'll see what happens when the first game comes."
For senior left tackle Jake Vermiglio, Crisp brings back certain memories of his first year at NC State. Vermiglio was the only true freshman to start a game for the 2007 Pack. He has since developed into one of the line's most dependable players, with 20 career starts under his belt in three seasons.
"It's a tough adjustment going from high school to college," Vermiglio said. "The speed of the game is incredibly different. You don't realize it until you get on the field. Practice is fast, but once you get into a game, everyone is going full tilt. The thing that helps you out the most is knowing the playbook, so you don't have to think about what you have to do. You just do it.
"I got a lot of help from the upperclassmen when I was a freshman, so that is what I am trying to do with Robert. I am going to help him and all the freshmen out as much as I can."
Vermiglio has seen Crisp's talent up close during the Wolfpack's first two weeks of preseason practice and two scrimmages.
"He's got great feet and great instincts," Vermiglio said. "He's still learning the playbook a little bit. He's going to be a good player."
Crisp isn't sure how much - if any - playing time he will earn this season. He's just trying to fit in at the moment.
"I know I am coming in young," he says. "I am just trying to compete with everybody in camp. If I mess up on a play, I just have to stay focused and concentrate on the next play and have the mindset that I am going to be just as good as everybody else.
"My expectations are to just stay focused, work hard and learn as much as possible. Hopefully, when the time comes and the season starts, I will get some playing time."
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
