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ESPN TOP 100 PRESEASON 2022 CFB PLAYERS (Selected Aug. 17): No. 82. Drake Thomas, LB, NC State, Junior. Notable 2021 stats: 99 tackles (48 solo), 6 sacks. Last year's ranking: NR. Thomas has been a stalwart on the Wolfpack linebacker unit -- one that players believe is the best in the country. Headed into his third year as a starter, Thomas led the Wolfpack in tackles last season with 100 (ranking No. 4 in the ACC) and was an All-ACC first-team choice. He's a big reason why NC State is expected to be one of the best defenses in the league in 2022. - ESPN.com

(DS#20 OLB) rJr/2023

OLB Drake Thomas, North Carolina State
News Source: ESPN.com
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08/30/22 - Brennan Armstrong, rSr/2024, North Carolina State, 6-1, 199 (DS#24 QB) + More +

2022 PRESEASON JOHNNY UNITAS GOLDEN ARM AWARD WATCH LIST: Brennan Armstrong, Virginia,...A top-10 finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm a year ago, Armstrong returns to the awards watch list for the 2022 season. The namesake of the Golden Arm Award has a storied history. Johnny Unitas was an 18-year veteran of the NFL, who played his collegiate career at the University of Louisville before joining the Baltimore Colts in 1958. His career passing figures include 2,830 pass completions for 40,239 yards, 290 touchdowns and throwing a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games. - Virginia Football

(DS#24 QB) rSr/2024

QB Brennan Armstrong, North Carolina State
News Source: Virginia Football
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08/30/22 - Grayson McCall, rSr/2025, North Carolina State, 6-2, 221 (DS#999 QB) + More +

2022 PRESEASON MANNING AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST: Grayson McCall, Sr., Coastal Carolina,...McCall set a new NCAA Division I FBS record in passing efficiency rating at 207.6 last season in 2021, eclipsing the previous two records set by Alabama's Mac Jones (203.1) in 2020 and LSU's Joe Burrow (202.0) in 2019. He enters the 2022 season as the active career leader in all of NCAA Division I FBS in career passing efficiency at 196.09. - Coastal Carolina Football

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2025

QB Grayson McCall, North Carolina State
News Source: Coastal Carolina Football
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08/29/22 - Brennan Armstrong, rSr/2024, North Carolina State, 6-1, 199 (DS#24 QB) + More +

2022 PRESEASON MANNING AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST: Brennan Armstrong, Sr., Virginia,...Armstrong threw for 4,449 yards and 31 touchdowns while accumulating 4,700 yards of total offense in 2021, all UVA single season records. He averaged 404.4 yards passing per game, the most ever in a single season by a UVA quarterback and was just 145 yards shy of breaking the league's single season passing record in just 11 games played. - Virginia Football

(DS#24 QB) rSr/2024

QB Brennan Armstrong, North Carolina State
News Source: Virginia Football
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08/21/22 - Chandler Zavala, rSr/2023, North Carolina State, 6-4, 316 (DS#10 OG) + More +

N.C. State had one of the worst rushing attacks in the ACC last year. Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren thinks the return of left guard Chandler Zavala, who missed the final seven games last season with a back injury, will help remedy part of N.C. State's struggles with its ground game. "I do think the loss of Chandler Zavala was a bigger loss than probably people thought at the time," Doeren said. "He is a very good run blocker for us. Having him and Ickey (former N.C. State left tackle Ikem Ekwonu) next to each other presented a pretty good challenge to the defense as we were playing." Having Zavala back will certainly help, but there are more holes to fill to boost a running game that finished at No. 13 in the 14-team conference with two NFL running backs and a left tackle, Ekwonu, who went sixth overall in the draft. Zonovan Knight and Ricky Person combined for 1,389 rushing yards last season and 275 of the team's 372 rushing attempts. The team rushed for 11 touchdowns, the lowest total in the ACC. How N.C. State replaces Knight, Person and Ekwonu is a question players like running back Jordan Houston have grown tired of hearing all offseason. "But at the same time, it's a valid question," Houston said. - Raleigh News Observer

(DS#10 OG) rSr/2023

OG Chandler Zavala, North Carolina State
News Source: Raleigh News Observer
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08/12/22 - Cory Durden, rSr/2023, North Carolina State, 6-4, 290 (DS#21 DT) + More +

2022 PRESEASON ROTARY LOMBARDI AWARD WATCHLIST: Cory Durden, North Carolina State, Rs Sr DT/DE,...In his first season at NC State last year, Durden was named a first-team All-ACC performer on the official league team and on the AP squad. He also earned the team's Carey Brewbaker Award for Top Defensive Lineman. He was the Pack's starter in the last seven games of the season at defensive tackle, with a top game against Clemson - tallied six tackles, 1.5 sacks and had a QB pressure in that contest. - NC State Football

(DS#21 DT) rSr/2023

DT Cory Durden, North Carolina State
News Source: NC State Football
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08/10/22 - JaHad Carter, rSr/2025, North Carolina State, 6-1, 206 (DS#999 SS) + More +

The Syracuse football program is still waiting to hear about the injury status of safety Ja'Had Carter, who was taken away from practice by ambulance Tuesday morning. "We precautionarily took him to the hospital," coach Dino Babers said after practice. "He's got feelings in all his limbs and stuff. We're still waiting to get a report back on exactly what's going on." Carter started 18 games at safety through two seasons with the Orange. He had 35 total tackles through eight games last year - 24 of which were solo - despite missing four weeks due to injury. In 2020, he grabbed two interceptions and forced and recovered a fumble. - The Post-Standard

(DS#999 SS) rSr/2025

SS JaHad Carter, North Carolina State
News Source: The Post-Standard
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08/10/22 - Payton Wilson, rSr/2024, North Carolina State, 6-4, 233 (DS#2 OLB) + More +

When Payton Wilson took the field this past week for the first time with his teammates, his raw emotions bubbled to the surface. His latest injury, and the time spent in recovery, has allowed Wilson to reset himself mentally going into the 2022 season. "He's in a really good place mentally right now," Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren said. "From the team standpoint, everybody's pulling for him. He's one of the best players in the country when he's healthy, so it's nice to have him back." One place he's centered his energy is increasing his football intelligence through film study. Wilson started to understand other teams' tendencies in addition to his own, and he worked on understanding his role on a given play call, and where opponents' weak spots are.

But he's not planning on letting that more cerebral approach dampen his high-energy pace for which he's been known on the field. "It's always good to have a guy like him back out there on our field, especially with his type of energy," Ingle said. "Payton brings a different type of fire to our defense." Wilson said he is elated to have the opportunity to play with his teammates again. With 17 returning starters - 10 on defense - N.C. State has high hopes for a program that hasn't won an ACC championship since 1979. Wilson's return - and his continued health - will be a big piece of that puzzle. "I don't really look forward," Wilson said. "I've learned that due to injuries. They happen when they happen, and you can't control them. If you just take it one day at a time and try to do what you're doing that day the best you can. That's all you can do." - Raleigh News Observer

(DS#2 OLB) rSr/2024

OLB Payton Wilson, North Carolina State
News Source: Raleigh News Observer
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08/05/22 - Anthony Belton, rSr/2025, North Carolina State, 6-6, 336 (DS#6 OT) + More +

The biggest question - literally - is who replaces the biggest and most imposing player on N.C. State's roster. Ikem Ekwonu protected Leary's blindside a year ago. In April, Ekwonu was the first offensive player selected in the NFL draft, sixth overall by the Carolina Panthers. Redshirt sophomore Anthony Belton will probably get the first shot. While he has the measurables (6-6, 330), the Tallahassee, Fla., native doesn't have the experience. Belton was on the field for just 11 snaps a year ago. He started at left tackle during the spring game in April.

Belton should benefit from having four experienced starters to his right. "I think we have a bunch of dudes that are trying to compete to get that starting spot that Ickey was in, but I know with the other four offensive linemen that we have coming back that they hold that room to a high standard," Leary said at ACC Kickoff. "Whoever it is filling into that role, they understand that the other four offensive linemen will be counting on them, just as they did on Ickey." Veteran Bryson Speas, who started every game a year ago at right tackle, has the ability to play on the left side. If Doeren decides to go with the experienced Speas (24 starts) at left tackle, redshirt sophomore Tim McKay could start at the right tackle spot. - Raleigh News Observer

(DS#6 OT) rSr/2025

OT Anthony Belton, North Carolina State
News Source: Raleigh News Observer
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08/03/22 - Payton Wilson, rSr/2024, North Carolina State, 6-4, 233 (DS#2 OLB) + More +

2022 PRESEASON CHUCK BEDNARIK AWARD WATCH LIST: Payton Wilson, NC State, Junior LB,...Suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the loss at Miss. St in 2021...Named to the preseason watch list for the Bednarik Award, Bukus Award and Nagurski Trophy...Missed 2021 spring workouts after undergoing surgery on both shoulders. - NC State Football

(DS#2 OLB) rSr/2024

OLB Payton Wilson, North Carolina State
News Source: NC State Football
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08/03/22 - Drake Thomas, rJr/2023, North Carolina State, 5-11, 223 (DS#20 OLB) + More +

2022 PRESEASON CHUCK BEDNARIK AWARD WATCH LIST: Drake Thomas, NC State, Junior LB,... A first-team All-ACC performer on both the official league team and the AP squad in 2021...The Pack's leading tackler in 2021, he ranked fourth in the ACC...Played 763 snaps for the season - second-highest total on defense...Tallied a career-best 15 stops in the win over Louisville, he was named the ACC Linebacker of the Week. - NC State Football

(DS#20 OLB) rJr/2023

OLB Drake Thomas, North Carolina State
News Source: NC State Football
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08/03/22 - Joe Shimko, rSr/2024, North Carolina State, 6-0, 233 (DS#5 LS) + More +

2022 PRESEASON PATRICK MANNELLY AWARD WATCHLIST: Joe Shimko, NC State,...Shimko has been a reliable snapper who snapped for every kick since the beginning of the 2019 season. He boasts 174 long snaps and 180 short snaps for his career with no bad snaps. Last season, he was named a fourth-team All-American according to Phil Steele. - NC State Football

(DS#5 LS) rSr/2024

LS Joe Shimko, North Carolina State
News Source: NC State Football
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08/01/22 - Grayson McCall, rSr/2025, North Carolina State, 6-2, 221 (DS#999 QB) + More +

2022 PRESEASON WALTER CAMP PLAYER OF YEAR PLAYER TO WATCH: Grayson McCall, QB, senior, Coastal Carolina,...McCall, who was recently named the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and earned preseason All-Sun Belt first-team honors for the second consecutive season, is a two-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year (2020 and 2021). Named to both the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award and Maxwell Award preseason watch lists this season, the CCU signal-caller was also previously named a 2022 Preseason All-American by Athlon Sports and earned a spot on both the Athlon Sports and Phil Steele's 2022 Preseason All-Sun Belt first teams earlier this offseason. - Coastal Carolina Football

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2025

QB Grayson McCall, North Carolina State
News Source: Coastal Carolina Football
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07/28/22 - Drake Thomas, rJr/2023, North Carolina State, 5-11, 223 (DS#20 OLB) + More +

2022 PRESEASON BRONKO NAGURSKI TROPHY WATCHLIST: LB Drake Thomas, N.C. State,...NC State safety Tanner Ingle and linebacker Drake Thomas were both named to the 2022 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List. The Football Writers Association of America released its 2022 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, selecting 85 defensive standouts from 61 schools in all 10 Division I FBS conferences plus independents. Thomas was the Pack's leading tackler in 2021, ranking fourth in the ACC, and played 763 snaps for the season, the second-highest total on defense. - NC State Football

(DS#20 OLB) rJr/2023

OLB Drake Thomas, North Carolina State
News Source: NC State Football
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07/28/22 - Cory Durden, rSr/2023, North Carolina State, 6-4, 290 (DS#21 DT) + More +

2022 PRESEASON OUTLAND TROPHY WATCHLIST: DT Cory Durden, N.C. State,...In his first season at NC State last year, Durden was named a first-team All-ACC performer on the official league team and on the AP squad. He also earned the team's Carey Brewbaker Award for Top Defensive Lineman. He was the Pack's starter in the last seven games of the season at defensive tackle, with a top game against Clemson - tallied six tackles, 1.5 sacks and had a QB pressure in that contest. - NC State Football

(DS#21 DT) rSr/2023

DT Cory Durden, North Carolina State
News Source: NC State Football
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