Jordan Waters & Running Back Depth will be VITAL to NC State Football's Season | NC State Podcast

we've talked all offseason about Grayson McCall and the exciting wide receivers that are now here at NC State there's a very specific room that's still on offense is not getting the shine that they deserve you are locked on Wolfpack your daily podcast on the NC State Wolfpack part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day what's up Wolfpack Nation it's time to get locked in with locked on thanks for making locked on Wolfpack your first listen each and every day we are free and available wherever you get your podcast and on YouTube part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel make every moment more Sports have stop sporting the way we want them to but this summer that's where FanDuel steps in FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or bonus daily that's right there's something for everyone every day all summer long just visit fanduel.com in order to get started happy Monday to all as always I'm Grayson Boone joined by former Wolfpack defensive tackle Kenton Gibbs back here with you on Monday we're yet another week closer to kicking this thing off at the end of August I want to spend some time talking about Jordan Waters specifically and the running backs here on Monday as mentioned there in the intro we've talked ad nauseum about Grayson McCall all the new wide receiving weapons we've added into the fry here in 2024 I'm not sure we've spent enough time talking about Jordan Waters and what he specifically is going to bring to the table for this offense and perhaps one of the bigger years in recent memory listening to Jordan wat speak down in Charlotte a couple weeks back at ACC kickoff he's ready to go he's a noons all business type of guy of this is a sixe senior he's done it all he's seen it all and he's ready to hit the ground running here with the wolf pack yeah absolutely and when you think about the way that the offense looks and the way that people talk about Robert and I's offense you think about a few things if everybody is going if this is going to be an offense where the ball is spread around the yard and everybody's getting their touches out wide how do defenses combat that you have to account for everybody out wide what happens when you account for people out wide you are spreading out the defense you are thinning out the herd in terms of who you have in the Box what do you want to do against the light box run the dang ball that's it that's what you want to do so obviously if these wide receiver weapons are panning out and all that good stuff you could say hey that leads to more open lanes for Jordan Waters but it could be the exact opposite where Jordan Waters is setting the table where the running back room is setting the table Kendrick Rafael and um and Hollywood smothers and Duke Scott are setting the table for the passing game to eat off of it I think it's certainly the lad and I don't think this is a hot take I think this is just the reality of the situation the Run game is the secret sauce to this to this offense being explosive here in 24 Robert and I strength and play calling is kind of favored toward more of an air raid type offense but Jordan Waters cannot be forgotten about by any means this is a third Team all ACC running back last year in 2023 and I want to take kind of a walk backwards here in terms of NC State running back rooms these past couple years to prove why Jordan Waters is such a massive addition to this season here in 24 in 2023 the NC State running backs now this is only running backs not including Brennan Armstrong and not including KC the running backs consisting of Kendrick Rafael Delbert Mims Michael Allen Jordan Houston Demarcus Jones ran for a combined 930 yards and 11 touchdowns when you factor Brennan Armstrong and KC back into that equation they had 985 yards and seven touchdowns last year alone Jordan Waters put out 819 yards and 12 touchdowns at Duke just one man when you look at 2022 NC State running back room Jordan Houston Demi Sumo Michael Allen Delbert Mims Demarcus Jones a combined 1298 and only three rushing touchdowns the entire season 2022 just three rushing touchdowns on the ground last year in Reverse 2021 bam Knight Ricky pson and Jordan Houston 1472 on the ground and nine touchdowns it just hasn't been as effective as we've needed it to be for this offense to continue to progress keep the defense off the field and have that balanced approach because when you get onedimensional like at times we saw with Devon lry like at times we saw with Brennan Armstrong last year you become very predictable and then you stall in the mud the tires spin you can't get anything done three and out three and out and it's horrible to watch that's where Jordan Waters is primed for a massive impact this year in 24 if he brings his five years of college football experience but not just that five years as a running back in the ACC type of experience and he puts together let's just say he has a very similar year to the one he put out last year 819 yards and 12 that will unlock so many massive doors in this Robert and I offense we certainly didn't see it last year but we haven't seen it these last couple years here at NC State if Jordan Waters does result to be what we think he could be this offense will truly hit another level well I want to push back on something you said there in terms of Robert and I is a guy who likes to throw the ball around the yard more than anything else I want to take you all back to something Syracuse I believe it was 2020 or 2021 led the AC had the acc's leading rusher in Sean Tucker Sean Tucker I know one thing about Robert andai it's that he's always as of recent history had to pick I can throw the ball or I can run the ball based on my personnel and by he had to pick I mean he could only do one at a time quick question Grayson who was Virginia's running back when uh Brenan Armstrong was there and had that electric year with 4,000 some OD passing Off full disclosure I can't even tell you okay great Sean Tucker when he was the running back at Syracuse and breaking all those WS who was the quarterback it was an Italian last name wasn't it h interesting the point that I'm making here is simple he's always had one or the other in terms of recent history Robert and not this is going to be his most complete offense in terms of pound-for-pound talent at every skill position uh in the offense and the depth the depth Robert andai has never had this much talent in the running game and the passing game and multiple guys that you look at and say hey this guy can get it done he can hurt you he can absolutely hurt you if you fall asleep on him and he's a backup Robert andai has not had that so to give him this deep Trove of weapons to play with and then to say a running back room like this where you're looking at Waters you're looking at Smothers you're looking at Raphael you're looking at Duke you're looking at all of these different guys I am telling you this there's a reason that I said hey yes we have KC yes we have Noah Rogers yes we have darari Collin yes we have Keenan Jackson yes we have palor and all these other weapons there's a reason I said there's a very real possibility that this offense ends up being one where the uh tone is set the tone is like Hey we're we're gonna start this thing off and we're gonna start the feeding process in terms of who gets to eat off of who with the run because again there's some ball players in the back field and an old line that last year at the end of the season their identity was not pass blocking it was leaning on folks it was rolling guys out of the way it was quarterback design runs it was read options it was QB power it was hey you know that we can't throw the ball to anybody besides 10 but we're still gonna move the ball anyway so I'm very intrigued to see how this thing rolls out and you certainly can't finish this conversation without mentioning Kendrick rafhael now he provided a little bit of spark on the ground in certain spots last year just a true freshman but at times we really needed something on the ground he was able to be effective a couple times in really big spots I I don't think it's any secret that Jordan Waters is going to be the Bellow back for us in 24 but Kendrick rafhael I expect to be a really good change of pace type back and Kenton you also mentioned Hollywood Smothers he's another guy I expect to see somewhat in The Fray in some way shape or form now I think his primary function for this season may be kickoff return but Hollywood Smothers has that Breakaway speed and when when you have a guy like that in your back field you got to find a way some somehow to get his hands on the ball then you also have Duke Scott there's so many names so much more depth than we've had in quite some time in the running back room if Duke Scott this year as a true freshman can be a true breakout player you might see his name a lot as the season goes on I say all that to say this running back room is so deep and has so much more explosiveness than it has in these last couple years I think that they really could be the secret sauce to tuning this offense to another level and keeping that balance that we're talking about not just an air a not just a ground and pound but a mixture of both that could really be dangerous for NC State year in 2024 yeah keeping defens is off their off their footing and reacting is how you win football games period that's how you score when a defense pretty much defense offense doesn't matter when you are the tone Setter and you're making the other side adjust to you that's how you need to be doing it when you have the other side on their heels and reacting instead of on their toes and and you know charging downhill no FRS that's how you win the game and regardless of if it's the run if it's the pass it just has to be success that's the biggest thing here can the running back room create success can the wide receiver room create success because that's more important than any other thing you can imagine hit the nail on the head there coming up next we're g to start talking about a younger wide receiver that we've mentioned a couple times but we're bringing him up because he's making a lot of Buzz out at fall Camp a word on this after a quick word from our SP sponsors our first sponsor of the day is eBay Motors passion drive and patience that's the formula for winning championships but it's also what keeps your ride or die alive eBay Motors does everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to- Peak Performance from superchargers to roof racks exhaust kits and LED headlights whether you're into speed power or style eBay Motors has got you covered with over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die you'll always find exactly what you're looking for with eBay's guaranteed fit your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time or your money back that's because with eBay Motors you're burning rubber and not cash with all the parts you need at the prices you want it's easy to turn your car into the MVP and bring home huge wins keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors.com eligible items only exclusions apply thank you for making locked on Wolfpack your first listen of the day for your second listen of the day enjoy the locked on college football podcast Spencer mcclaflin gets you ready for an exciting season on the grid iron with discussion on the upcoming season and the everchanging landscape of College athletics of course this includes conference reignment the transfer portal nil new college football expanded playoffs and so much more locked on college football is available on YouTube and wherever you get your podcast part of the locked onon podcast Network your team every day middle portion of our Monday show we keep dropping these names to be looking out for over the course of fall camp we talked about Duke Scott couple episodes ago he's providing a lot of Buzz as just a freshman young running back in a deep room another name that we keep hearing and Kenton I'm going to give you a chance to gloat freshman wide receiver Kenan Jackson he was the infamous well I guess famous in NC State footing flip from North Carolina on national Signing Day He sent ma Brown into a hissy fit in in front of a national audience we ate it up and we kind of had this attachment to Keenan Jackson ever since don't get lost in all that buzz he's a really good football player he's already seeming to prove it this early in Fall Camp watching William meltdown will always be one of my favorite things I don't care what anybody says or how they say get old it never gets old it is oh it is it is just one of my favorite pastimes but Keenan Jackson listen there's no need for me to gloat here I watch a ridiculous amount of film and I know the game well enough this young man I knew watching him play and seeing his stats I said first I saw his stats before I watch him I watched him play and I said man he must have been a a go ball specialist he must have been that guy that's just hey run by the Defenders we're gonna throw it up to you and we'll figure it out from there very refined dra Runner very refined he's a guy that you can tell he was coached well but there's also a certain amount of detail to his roster like oh that's that's very intriguing there and then you add that to a 63 frame with really good catch radius he can jump high he's flexible enough to make the catches down low and he has the um he has the ability to retain those catches as well through contact I mean it's I would liken him to a a Michael Pitman Jr from the uh Colts with better route running because at when it comes to being strong and physical at the point boxing guys out and all that he can do that when it comes to being difficult to bring down after ball is in his head he is that but the biggest thing for him is the fact that again he is such a good rout Runner he is so good at getting into Defender blind spots he is so good at selling oh I'm going vertical I'm going vertical JK stop boom and that's that's what he does he is again he's one of those ones that you look at you're just like where did you learn that who taught you that out of high school and so um being the guy that he is combined with and don't get me wrong now he's no slouch in terms of speed either I'm not saying that he's necessarily slow I'm just saying he wasn't a guy that like hey if he's even he's leaving or he's breaking all your angles um in high school so I'm excited to see what he becomes I am not shocked at all about his early success because if you listen to this podcast if you go back to when the full class was announc and all that and all the guys had sent in their letter of intent and all that you will hear it here first us saying the best pure wide receiver out of this class is probably keeman Jackson notably at the end of his high school season this last year I think he holds now like every single record for a wide receiver at Weddington High School he had one of the better wide receiving seasons in the state of North Carolina in quite some time some of the NC State related comparisons that I've seen thrown around are both acha Mesi and Kelvin Haron I think both of them are actually pretty accurate now he's going to have to prove that on the field of course but a lot of what kenin Wasing about his ability to go up and make these 50/50 balls feel like a 7030 ball or an 8020 ball you've kind of already seen a couple Clips scatter out on the social media of him making highly contested catches against our secondary that's getting a lot of chatter right now because of their play Early in Fall Camp if Keenan Jackson continues on that type of trajectory you could see him make a freshman impact as early as this season in 20124 the reason I bring this up obviously is because of what we got out of Kevin concepion last year in 23 now this team in 24 is entirely different the wide receiving room entirely different all the skill player weapons we have entirely different but Kenton do you think that Keenan Jackson may be primed for a breakout type year as just a freshman that casy was a year ago no and that's because we're better at wide receiver than we were when KC was here last year I think that he's in for an amazing year um relative to most other freshman but if he has a KC type year something has gone horribly wrong and I'm not even talking about the other guys I mean even I I will say this let me let me take that back I'll say it this way instead if he has a Kevin concep on year type year one of two things has happened Grayson McCall is going to win a Heisman and we're going to the playoff and all that good stuff or something has gone terribly wrong and he's the only receiver that can be reliably counted on because if I do remember correctly um KC was the leading rush out side of quarterbacks on the team last year he caught for what was it 1100 yards or so 860 something oh okay well in total total yardage he was at he was over a th000 he was well over a thousand in total yardage and I believe what was it 10 rushing touchdowns or 10 receiving touchdowns or something along those lines 10 like there's again I'm not expecting that from him if he gets it great I love it amazing if he can get that within the framework of the offense and other guys are showing up and as Robert and I would say being relevant when the number is called good I don't see a world where the other guys are relevant in their numberers called or let me say it's difficult to see that world because it's possible it is possible that Grayson McCall ends up in New York KC ends up being an All-American Noah R you know it's possible but it's it's hard for me to see that but I will say this it's great to have another outside receiver performing at a high level because we're looking at no Rogers darari Collins and then who behind them as true outside receivers not guys who you would want to use primarily in the slot and by outside receiver you think of a bigger guy long stride not necessarily the quickest but he can do that separation vertically and all those things as opposed to a shorter guy that's good in in more in short area where they can um you know create separation with very very minor moves that they know that they're they're they know that it's not about long speed or it's not about jumping up over people it's about hey I'm going to beat this slot Defender this safety this linebacker 101 keen and Jackson is certainly not lined up to have a KC type year however I want to go back to one of the last points Kenton made there and that comment that Robert and I made last season he wants players to be relevant when their number is called the replay value that we're going to get out of that one quote is nearly unlimited i s that to say if Kean Jackson is being relevant this early in Fall Camp perhaps you could start seeing his name a lot more once the season starts now again we are much deeper seemingly everywhere than we were last year offensively so I don't expect him to be lighting the world on fire in game one as just a freshman you could see Keenan Jackson start to make a name for himself in some of these cupcake games so to speak when the game gets out of hand perhaps we're up by three four five touchdowns late in that second half and then you see Kean Jackson run out there and perhaps then he steals the show and if that happens maybe you start to see him trickle out there in ACC play if he's making these types of waves this early in the season that's only going to benefit NC State in the long run maybe it won't be here in 2024 but it certainly might be in 2025 and Beyond so Keenan Jackson is making a lot of Buzz he's turning some heads this early in Fall camp and that is absolutely fantastic news to hear this early in August coming up next we're going to round out our Monday show discussing what we already know Tony Gibson is one of the top def ensive coordinators in the country more on this after a quick word from our sponsors second sponsor of the day is FanDuel sports are not sporting the way we need them to but soon it will be fall FanDuel in the meantime helps us keep Sports going whenever we need them all we have to do is open up the app and dream up any bets at any time we're in the mood this summer fanduels hooking up all customers with a boost or bonus daily that's right there's something for everyone every day all summer long so head on over to fanduel.com and start making the most out of your summer FanDuel the official sports betting partner of Major League Baseball last couple minutes here on Monday I feel like I have to put out a disclaimer every time we mention big game Boomer on here we're gonna talk some Big Game Boomer now he put out a list on Sunday listing the top 50 linebackers coaches in college football bringing this up now on your screen if you're watching us on YouTube your very own Tony Gibson sits in the top spot of big game Boomers list the number one linebackers coach in college football now Kenton do you feel like this is truly accurate because you see some of these schools under him you have the Clemsons the georgas the Iowa the tennesses do you think Tony Gibson truly is the number one linebacking coach in the country yes if he wasn't I would be so deeply concerned about our linebackers I would not feel good about this season and I I just mean that from a standpoint of what we have seen them put out so far I would not feel good at all I would be so worried about them I say Hey listen pegging us anything over eight games is a problem but knowing Tony Gibson I know he'll get those guys right I know he'll get them to doing what they need to do so I'm excited about him at number one it makes sense he again I'm not joking when I say you can send him out there with you know eight Senti in roomers and three football players and they'll figure out a way to get stops that is because if those three football players are linebackers Tony Gibson is going to find a way to make sure they're hitting every hole that they're supposed to I tell you what it certainly helps your case when you have the best linebacker in the country playing under your wing with pton Wilson last season but you look at the work that Tony Gibson did with Drake Thomas and Isaiah Moore even bringing up the guys like jayen Scott Devon Betty Kaden forom who's played very solid he's gonna have to earn this title of number one linebacker coach in the country this year in 2024 I tell you what we've talked a lot about the linebacking core this season and it's probably our biggest concern on the team if we're being completely transparent about it somebody and probably multiple players in this linebacking room is going to have to take very large steps forward and Lead this defense in order to maintain that level of dominance that you've seen these last couple years that of course is where Tony Gibson makes his hay he he has been one of the top defensive coordinators in the country we've seen that in full display these last couple seasons did us a huge solid and resigning with NC State right around Christmas time that felt like one of the bigger gets of the entire off season let alone the transfer portal guys bringing back Tony Gibson I think it was a three-year extension that felt like Christmas gifts to all of us because he is that level of tactician on the defensive side of the ball he talks how you would like him to talk he walks how you would like him to walk and he puts out these Stellar defenses year in and year out I think the most fascinating point about this list is something I've already mentioned look at this top 10 because you see Clemson Georgia Tennessee Iowa Penn State you got LSU in there Nebraska Kentucky these are big-time linebacking schools and to see Tony Gibson right across the top of them not only do I feel like it is truly accurate I do feel that he is the best linebacking coach in the country but you think about the Clemsons and the georgas in particular they're sending multiple linebackers to the NFL draft every year imagine if Tony Gibson was bringing in that level of talent to then put on the field every fall I think an idea like that one is why we get so excited every time we mentioned guys like Elijah Groves Elijah Groves has already been quoted to be a creature by Tony Gibson if you get him in the lab a couple years let Coach Gibson tweak him a little bit on the field he might retain this number one linebacking coach spot in the country because what we've got out of our linebackers these last couple years and defenses as a whole that's been part of the reason you see NC State reach eight n wins every single year it's not so much the offense the defense has been carrying major water for us yes and when you think about this look at four quarterbacks in a year we still did it a guy who had a season so good he was ACC prese preseason player of the year next year we still did it uh benching of a quarterback new starting quarterback that quarterback red shirts and the old starting quarterback is back eight nine games still it happens because of and by and large because of Tony Gibson and how well he's Coast up that defense that'll do it for us here on Monday as always thank you all so much for joining us very busy week this week and next week as we get that much closer to kickoff here at the end of August be sure to hit that like button drop your comments in the comment box anything you have on your mind let us know Mash that subscribe button and we'll see you right back here tomorrow on Tuesday and until then go pack go pack