On the road, in a dogfight with the Boston College Eagles, the No. 22 NC State football team was in dire need of a difference-maker. Tied 7-7 in the second quarter as the Eagles drove down the field, freshman nickelback Devan Boykin stepped up to be that player in the two most impactful drives of the game.
Boston College often had NC State on its heels early in the game as its first-half rushing attack put up a surprising 6.3 yards per carry on the second-best rushing defense in the ACC. In its first drive, it marched down the field to the tune of a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive which was annoyingly reminiscent of the defensive struggles the Wolfpack had in its 2019 trip to Chestnut Hill.
Boykin is one of the young players the coaching staff has been excited about, and he wasn’t around for that disappointing 45-24 blowout in Massachusetts. Well regarded for his intelligence as a member of the recruiting class of 2020, Boykin was recruited as a player who could learn any of the secondary spots, and in his first year on the team his role ended up being the third-string free safety behind junior safety Tanner Ingle and redshirt freshman Khalid Martin. He ended up seeing the field heavily in two games, though he was just filling in for players ejected for targeting.
This year’s been different. Though Boykin is again a backup at free safety, he’s listed as OR beside Martin, showing the growth in his game. He also got the start against Louisiana Tech despite Ingle being completely healthy, which means it was likely a reward for good performance in practice. On Saturday, that became even more clear as things translated to the game.
In the aforementioned second-quarter drive, the Eagles were just outside of the red zone, and on 2nd and 10 Boykin broke up a pass which should’ve sent things to third and long. Instead, graduate end Daniel Joseph was called for a ticky-tack roughing the passer which put BC inside the 15. But as the Eagles dialed up a perfect 3rd and 3 call, which used play action to sneak a tight end up the seam, Boykin was caught in the fake and made a great recovery playing through the receiver’s hands to knock the ball out and take a touchdown off the board.
In the third quarter, up 10-7, Boykin made his presence known on special teams, scooping up a fumble by punter Grant Carlson and returning it 34 yards to the house. Those two plays constituted a 14-point swing for the Wolfpack, and the beginning of 26 unanswered points to first silence, then empty out the home crowd.
“Devan’s practiced really well the last three weeks,” Doeren said. “He’s earned more playing time, and they rewarded him with that and he capitalized on it. It doesn’t surprise me, he’s a coach’s son. He takes practice very seriously as does Betty [who] goes in and makes a safety at the end of the game. The guy doesn’t know he’s gonna play. But he practices like he’s gonna start, and that’s awesome to see.”
Boykin’s three-tackle, two-PBU, fumble return TD performance gives a glimpse into the future of this NC State secondary, which will be in good hands. With Boykin making noise at safety, fellow freshman Aydan White showing out at cornerback and freshman defensive tackle Davin Vann making plays in the backfield, the recruiting class of 2020 is making its mark even as underclassmen.
