By Louis Fernandez, WRAL Sports

No. 24 NC State’s offense is in a position to grow going into year two under offensive coordinator Robert Anae. Where could we see the biggest change? How about the wide receivers? Assistant head coach and wide receivers coach Joker Phillips believes the group could make noise on the professional level.

“Very talented. It’s just, a lot of draft picks in there, I mean, talent-wise,” Phillips said.

“Talent-wise” being the emphasis, because for the most part, this group is very young and unproven, at least at NC State. All you have to do is look at the roster. The Wolfpack list 17 players at wide receiver:

• Eight are college freshmen
• Four have been in the program for more than a year, but have yet to catch a pass
• Two are transfers (more on them in a minute)

Which leaves just three wide receivers on the roster with a reception in a game for NC State: redshirt junior Dacari Collins (14 receptions for 212 yards and two touchdowns), redshirt junior Jalen Coit (five catches in his career, but was a punt returner for the Wolfpack last season) and then of course, there’s KC Concepcion.

KC Concepcion continues to be very good

ACC Rookie of the year in 2023, preseason All-ACC wide receiver this year, KC Concepcion was a one-man wrecking crew for the NC State offense in 2023. His 71 catches for 839 yards and 10 touchdowns was top of the stats book for the Wolfpack, with his catch and touchdown total being NC State records. Throw in the 320 yards rushing in the season and one of the best freshman in the country has the chance to be one of the best sophomores in the country.

“KC had a lot of weight on his shoulders last year, had to do a lot of different things,” NC State transfer quarterback Grayson McCall said. “I think it’s important this year that we have a lot of different guys that can do a lot of things. Defenses aren’t just going to be able to cue in on where number 10 is, there’s a lot of other guys they have to worry about.”

The trio of returners, combined for 88 catches, 1,050 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2023. NC State wide receivers as a whole had 176 catches, 2,055 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Wolfpack lost five players at that position that registered at least 10 catches last season, but it happened for a reason. The passing game has to grow for NC State to reach its potential this season.

Enter the transfers.

Noah Rogers and Wesley Grimes return to Raleigh

Recruiting the transfer portal has become as, if not more important, than recruiting out of high school. Funny enough, two of NC State’s most talented receivers give you a little bit of both.

“In today’s world, it’s good to be second sometimes, you know?” Phillips said on Tuesday.

The Wolfpack, essentially, finished second in the recruiting process of wide receiver Wesley Grimes, from Millbrook High School, and Noah Rogers, from Rolesville High School.

“Things didn’t work out,” Phillips said, “and were we were able to get (them) back here.”

Grimes, a four-star wide receiver, played in 19 games in two seasons for ACC rival Wake Forest. Grimes had 24 catches for 372 yards and five touchdowns in those contests for the Demon Deacons. Meanwhile Rogers was the top player in North Carolina in 2022, enrolling early at Ohio State. He participated in four games for the Buckeyes, but didn’t register a catch.

Now the Raleigh natives have a chance to play in their hometown.

NC State offense balances talent and youth with experience

It’s clear there’s a lot of talent in this group, but they’re still young.

“I’ve had a couple talented guys like this, but not this deep,” the wide receiver coach said. “It’s fun to be a part of, it’s fun to watch. I’ve pulled what little hair I had out a couple times because, I mean, it’s challenging too.”

12 of the 17 wide receivers have been at NC State for two years or less. Even Concepcion, the most experienced in terms of production, is only going through his second fall camp. That makes the presence of older players, like Dacari Collins, all the more important.

He spent two years at Clemson before transferring to NC State this past season. Phillips was honest and said early on the coaching staff was concerned about his fit in Raleigh, but have seen huge strides since.

“Dacari had to sit down and he turned it around. He became a guy that we got excited about, but it took game seven for him to buy into our culture, and now he’s a huge part of it,” Phillips said.

Collins said on Tuesday he’s continuing to grow into a leadership role, helping along the new players, helping them improve.

“As far as my young guys, getting them to learn the system, getting them to learn the signals. The faster they do that, the faster we all will play efficient,” Collins said.

And that coaching isn’t coming just from the wide receivers. That’s one of the benefits of bringing in Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall as a transfer at quarterback. Going into his sixth season now, McCall knows what he’s looking for and knows what it takes to have success. He’s the only player to earn Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year honors three times.

“Just being around Grayson more, with all our receivers and running backs as well, that helps a lot, just to get that chemistry,” Collins said.

“He knows what he wants, he knows what the coaches want, and and he demands it from the guys,” Phillips said.

“I think they push each other every day, they really do, they come to work,” McCall said. “I think I’ve done a good job bringing those guys together, getting them on the same page. But they do a fantastic job, like I said there are so many play makers around me, it makes my job so much easier.”

So which receivers will rise to the top alongside Concepcion? No. 24 NC State starts its season on Thursday, August 29, when it hosts Western Carolina at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Source: wralsportsfan.com