North Carolina State University Athletics
Senior Spotlight: LB Rodman Noel
10/28/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 28, 2014
The senior linebacker from Everett, Mass., grew up in a household full of athletic talent. His older brother, Jim, 23, played football at Boston College while his younger brother, Nerlens, 20, is a former Kentucky star and a current NBA player with the Philadelphia 76ers.
“Growing up it was always a great time,” Noel said. “We knew that we always had each other and that we could never get bored. If we happened to get bored we would just go down to the park and play one-on-one or two-on-one with each other.
“We were always competitive with one another to make each other better, and it made us really close. We knew that nothing could come between us and that we could always rely on each other.”
Noel didn’t always have dreams of playing Division I football though, and neither did his brother Jim, who played as a defensive back at Boston College from 2009-12.
“The three of us always had dreams of going to the NBA. Basketball was the favorite sport for all three of us, but it looks like my little brother got the best of that,” Noel said.
Nerlens was a first-round pick in the 2013 NBA draft. Rodman and their parents were in attendance at Madison Square Garden when Nerlens was drafted sixth overall despite teams knowing he would miss his rookie season with an injury.
After playing both football and basketball in their early years, both Rodman and Jim eventually made the decision to make football their primary focus.
“When we got to high school, it was more of a football school so that’s what my older brother and I focused on and that’s what ended up being best for the both of us,” Noel said.
As Noel knew that football was the right sport for him to pursue, he also knew that NC State was the right school for him to attend.
“I just thought it was a great place for me. Something about NC State stuck out,” Noel said.
“I didn’t want to be at home because it’s too cold in the north so I wanted to move to the south. I just thought NC State was the perfect place and I like to be in a large city so Raleigh seemed to be a good fit.”
Noel will graduate in May 2015 with a degree in social work and hopes to pursue a professional football career. He plans to begin training after the 2014 football season.
Noel has made tremendous strides in improvement over his four years at NC State, especially from his first two to his last two seasons.
“I think coming into college with all of the older guys and being a freshman, my class didn’t get the opportunities we deserved so I just tried to contribute any way that I could. Sophomore year I got more of a chance. I started a couple of games and got to contribute more,” Noel said.
Last season Noel played in all 12 games at linebacker, and has started all eight games for NC State this season. A key player to the Wolfpack’s defensive squad this season, he is currently one of the top tacklers on the team, including a team-best 10 at Clemson.
“Last year as a junior, I kind of took a step back with the new coaches coming in and trying to learn the new system. I played behind D.J. Green and I learned a lot from him,” Noel said.
“I think playing behind him (Green) and splitting time with him really helped me for this season as a senior to be able to take that extra step. I also think the spring really helped in learning the system and being able to play faster.”
With NC State as a member of the ACC, a conference with several talented football teams, Noel knows that the rest of the season will be a true test of the hard work the team as a whole has put in.
“The ACC is a tough conference to play in; you have to come out every week and practice hard and keep the young guys focused. We have to go out every Saturday giving it 120 percent on the field and be hungry,” Noel said.
“We still have a chip on our shoulders from last year. We haven’t forgotten about it and neither has anyone else. We just have to go out everyday and put in the work we need to.”
In reference to team goals, Noel explains the steps that need to be taken in order to achieve everything the team wants to accomplish and more, and to lift the chip off its shoulders.
“Our first team goal is to win every game and we know we can if we put in the hard work that it takes to win. We know that if we work hard, play together and play with passion there’s nobody that should beat us,” Noel said.
“We have to take it one game at a time. We’re also hoping for some postseason play- we want to make it to a bowl game since we didn’t last year. Overall though we are just taking it one day at a time, one week at a time and one opponent at a time.”
With NC State in the midst of a new era of football, Noel foresees the program heading in a positive direction.
“I think Coach (Dave) Doeren has done a great job of getting us together as a team and getting us to gel together. We’ve put more trust in our coaches,” Noel said.
“I believe Coach Doeren and this staff have the program going in the right direction and I think that with the younger guys playing now we’ll be better in the future and we will continue to get better each year.”
RALEIGH, N.C. - For Rodman Noel, a competitive environment like Division I football is naturally one that he is accustomed to.
The senior linebacker from Everett, Mass., grew up in a household full of athletic talent. His older brother, Jim, 23, played football at Boston College while his younger brother, Nerlens, 20, is a former Kentucky star and a current NBA player with the Philadelphia 76ers.
“Growing up it was always a great time,” Noel said. “We knew that we always had each other and that we could never get bored. If we happened to get bored we would just go down to the park and play one-on-one or two-on-one with each other.
“We were always competitive with one another to make each other better, and it made us really close. We knew that nothing could come between us and that we could always rely on each other.”
Noel didn’t always have dreams of playing Division I football though, and neither did his brother Jim, who played as a defensive back at Boston College from 2009-12.
“The three of us always had dreams of going to the NBA. Basketball was the favorite sport for all three of us, but it looks like my little brother got the best of that,” Noel said.
Nerlens was a first-round pick in the 2013 NBA draft. Rodman and their parents were in attendance at Madison Square Garden when Nerlens was drafted sixth overall despite teams knowing he would miss his rookie season with an injury.
After playing both football and basketball in their early years, both Rodman and Jim eventually made the decision to make football their primary focus.
“When we got to high school, it was more of a football school so that’s what my older brother and I focused on and that’s what ended up being best for the both of us,” Noel said.
As Noel knew that football was the right sport for him to pursue, he also knew that NC State was the right school for him to attend.
“I just thought it was a great place for me. Something about NC State stuck out,” Noel said.
“I didn’t want to be at home because it’s too cold in the north so I wanted to move to the south. I just thought NC State was the perfect place and I like to be in a large city so Raleigh seemed to be a good fit.”
Noel will graduate in May 2015 with a degree in social work and hopes to pursue a professional football career. He plans to begin training after the 2014 football season.
Noel has made tremendous strides in improvement over his four years at NC State, especially from his first two to his last two seasons.
“I think coming into college with all of the older guys and being a freshman, my class didn’t get the opportunities we deserved so I just tried to contribute any way that I could. Sophomore year I got more of a chance. I started a couple of games and got to contribute more,” Noel said.
Last season Noel played in all 12 games at linebacker, and has started all eight games for NC State this season. A key player to the Wolfpack’s defensive squad this season, he is currently one of the top tacklers on the team, including a team-best 10 at Clemson.
“Last year as a junior, I kind of took a step back with the new coaches coming in and trying to learn the new system. I played behind D.J. Green and I learned a lot from him,” Noel said.
“I think playing behind him (Green) and splitting time with him really helped me for this season as a senior to be able to take that extra step. I also think the spring really helped in learning the system and being able to play faster.”
With NC State as a member of the ACC, a conference with several talented football teams, Noel knows that the rest of the season will be a true test of the hard work the team as a whole has put in.
“The ACC is a tough conference to play in; you have to come out every week and practice hard and keep the young guys focused. We have to go out every Saturday giving it 120 percent on the field and be hungry,” Noel said.
“We still have a chip on our shoulders from last year. We haven’t forgotten about it and neither has anyone else. We just have to go out everyday and put in the work we need to.”
In reference to team goals, Noel explains the steps that need to be taken in order to achieve everything the team wants to accomplish and more, and to lift the chip off its shoulders.
“Our first team goal is to win every game and we know we can if we put in the hard work that it takes to win. We know that if we work hard, play together and play with passion there’s nobody that should beat us,” Noel said.
“We have to take it one game at a time. We’re also hoping for some postseason play- we want to make it to a bowl game since we didn’t last year. Overall though we are just taking it one day at a time, one week at a time and one opponent at a time.”
With NC State in the midst of a new era of football, Noel foresees the program heading in a positive direction.
“I think Coach (Dave) Doeren has done a great job of getting us together as a team and getting us to gel together. We’ve put more trust in our coaches,” Noel said.
“I believe Coach Doeren and this staff have the program going in the right direction and I think that with the younger guys playing now we’ll be better in the future and we will continue to get better each year.”
Players Mentioned
LB
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