Some people say special teams don’t matter much in football games, but NC State fans know firsthand that a special teams mistake can dramatically change the outcome of any game. Todd Goebbel will be in his first year as special teams coordinator for the Wolfpack, replacing Eddie Faulkner who left for the NFL to be the running backs coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
NC State also has a new special teams quality control assistant this year as Worth Gregory came in to replace Doug Shearer, who left for Miami of Ohio.
“It’s been a struggle a little bit, I was recruited by Shearer, and I committed really early and everything I kind of knew was with Doug,” NC State sophomore kicker Chris Dunn said. “With new coaches, comes new schedules, and new things they are going to want you to do, it’s just been an adjustment for everyone trying to get used to it.”
In his freshman campaign, Dunn set the single-season record at NC State for field goals with 21, and set a single-season mark for points scored with 120. These accolades earned him second-team All-ACC. Wolfpack nation will expect Dunn to continue his strong start to his Wolfpack career this fall in his second year as the starting kicker.
This season, Dunn will also handle the kickoff duties for NC State, replacing Kyle Bambard who played his last season for the Wolfpack.
“I feel pretty confident, I’ve tried to work on some little things are far as routine, and mental strength as well, as far as the snapping and holding I feel pretty confident going into that,” Dunn said. “We have pretty much gone over every situation good or bad, so that way it is pretty easy when we go out there for game one against ECU.”
In the depth chart released for the first game against ECU, freshman Joe Shimko is listed as the starting long snapper, and redshirt sophomore Trenton Gill is listed as the starting kick holder for Dunn. Gill is also listed as the starting punter for Saturday.
In terms of punting, this season the Wolfpack are having to replace four-year starting punter AJ Cole III, who is competing for a spot on the Oakland Raiders’ 53 man roster. Throughout the summer and fall camp, there has been an ongoing battle for the starting punter role between Gill and redshirt sophomore Mackenzie Morgan, who is from Australia.
“It’s been good, just going out every day trying to kick the ball, not think about it in my head at all, just kick it long and far,” Morgan said in response to competing with Gill this year.
For week one, Gill will handle the punting duties, but given the high level of competition at the position, this could change as the season progresses.
For punt returns, as he did a few times last year, redshirt sophomore Thayer Thomas, the two-sport athlete, who is a fan favorite at Carter-Finley, will carry the load. Thomas averaged 9.3 yards a return in 2018. Redshirt graduate Tabari Hines, who is a graduate transfer from Oregon, but also spent three seasons at Wake Forest, is also listed as an option for punt returns for the Wolfpack.
On the kick return team, freshman Keyon Lesane, out of Lumberton, NC is listed as the first option. Lesane was ranked as the #46 overall recruit in North Carolina by rivals.com for the class of 2018. Also listed on the depth chart for kick returns is redshirt freshman Trent Pennix, who played in a few games last year and scored a touchdown against Georgia State, but retained his redshirt eligibility by not playing in more than four games.
If Dunn can remain consistent this year, and either Gill or Morgan can emerge as a dominant punter, expect the Wolfpack to have a great year in terms of special teams play. In the return game, NC State fans can be excited about Thomas creating some big returns, as well as some new faces that Wolfpack fans will be sure to know soon, such as Hines, Lesane, and Pennix. It should be known though, that if NC State wants to be successful in the ACC this season, they will have to limit special teams mistakes to a minimum.
