NC State football post-spring analysis: Tight end

Now that spring practices are completed and the recent NCAA transfer portal window has closed, this is a good time to reevaluate where the NC State football position groups stand in the aftermath. TheWolfpacker.com continues with the tight end group.

NC State football rundown: Tight end

There were two noticeable changes with the tight end group for NC State.

One is the coach leading the position group. Todd Goebbel had that responsibility for the past three seasons. Now that belongs to new NC State offensive coordinator Robert Anae, hired in December to replace Tim Beck, who was hired as head coach at Coastal Carolina.

Beck had led quarterbacks while handling the Wolfpack offense. Anae’s arrival set off a chain reaction that moved Goebbel from tight ends to running backs and Kurt Roper from running backs to quarterbacks.

In terms of the players, they are largely the same as last year for the Pack, exceptions including that super senior Trent Pennix was healthy, and early enrollee Juice Vereen generated considerable buzz in his first set of NC State football practices.

Post-spring positives

The depth remains strong, if healthy. Pennix is a potential playmaker for NC State at tight end, but a shoulder injury suffered early in the season-opening win at East Carolina limited his production over five games to 8 catches for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Fifth-year redshirt junior Christopher Toudle did not have the type of year he wanted but still caught 11 passes for 130 yards and a score. Toudle was sidelined for three games due to what was called “severe strep throat.”

While Pennix participated in spring practices, Toudle sat out following offseason surgery.

The Seabrough twins, both redshirt sophomores, also saw lots of action last year. Cedd Seabrough caught 9 passes for 56 yards and a touchdown, which came at Clemson. Fred Seabrough played in every game, mostly on special teams.

Post spring concerns

Anae has to figure out how to best use the players, and it is quite possible (maybe even likely) that Vereen may end up in the outside receivers group under coach Joker Phillips or still with Anae but with inside wideouts. Vereen’s athletic enough to do that, and the lack of playmakers at receiver may necessitate the move.

The other biggest concern though is health. The hope was that the combination of Pennix and Toudle, who flashed considerably in the 2022 season, would break out more consistently as playmakers last year. That did not happen.

Pennix missed time in 2021 with an ankle injury and then last fall with the shoulder. Toudle has also had issues the past two seasons with injuries and illness.

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