From Deshaun Watson to Dexter Lawrence, teams are winning with true freshmen these days. So, which incoming ACC freshmen will make major contributions for their team in 2017? We’re picking our favorites this week.
Next up, NC State.
Recruit: Erin Collins, No. 64 running back
Stars: Three
How he got to NC State: From Winter Park High School, Collins is one of eight recruits NC State added from the state of Florida -- the same as it added from North Carolina.
Why he’ll make an impact: Let’s be blunt here. The guy who will make the biggest impact for NC State in 2017 is probably not on scholarship right now. The Wolfpack will hold an ongoing competition for a kicker, and after a year in which missed kicks cost Dave Doeren’s crew badly, the winner of the job will be critical to the team’s 2017 hopes.
But if we’re limiting our search to the players we know have a strong chance to play right now, Collins is a good one.
At 5-10, 180, he’s hardly a power runner -- but NC State has a handful of those already in place. What the Wolfpack will be looking for in 2017 is a more versatile, change-of-pace player, and Collins fits that bill.
Replacing Matt Dayes isn’t going to happen easily. Heck, even Dayes wasn’t a star as a freshman, and Collins won’t be asked to fill that void. But a player who can contribute in many ways -- as Dayes did from Day 1 -- fits what Doeren wants from his young recruits. As a quick-burst runner, a receiver out of the backfield and a potential impact player on special teams, Collins has a good shot to see plenty of action this season.
Coach's quote: The bottom line with this class, as Doeren made clear, is that he doesn’t want many to play regular snaps in 2017. The upside to slowly building a program is he now has a veteran roster, and the young guys can redshirt. "It’s one thing to talk about developing players," Doeren said. "It’s another thing to prove it."
