Could NC State football's defense be nation's best in 2022? The Wolfpack sure thinks so
RALEIGH — Cyrus Fagan swung his arms across his chest and let out a thundering yell as he ran onto the NC State football practice field Tuesday morning.
It was a triumphant moment for the defensive back, who after transferring from Florida State before the 2021 season, tore his bicep in the Wolfpack's first road game last fall and was forced to embrace a motivator role for the rest of the year.
"I thank God for the situation he put me through," Fagan said. "It made me a bigger, better man. I put a lot of hard work in to get back on that field. I love football and it means a lot to be back."
Cyrus' joy radiated across the first day of fall camp as NC State's defense returned to full strength for the first time since injuries decimated the starting lineup last year.
Despite losing Fagan, linebackers Payton Wilson and Isaiah Moore and defensive tackle CJ Clark, NC State's defense finished second in the ACC and 14th nationally at 19.7 points per game behind linebacker Drake Thomas (99 tackles, three INTs) and DT Cory Durden. NC State finished 9-3 and a game short of its first appearance in the ACC championship game.
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The expectation is for the defense to take another step forward: best in the ACC? Maybe the nation? Fagan seems to think it's in the realm of possibility.
"We hold ourselves to a high standard, so I feel like we could be the best defense in the nation," he told the media after Tuesday's practice. "We've got all 11 back and all those guys are dogs."
With that much experience returning, the defense has been able to worry less about filling positions and instead focused on fine-tuning the smaller details.
Tanner Ingle, the senior safety voted to the All-ACC preseason first team, spent his offseason watching up to two hours a film each day, taking "steps in the classroom" to make sure his preparation matched his game-day intensity.
"I've gone back and watched NFL guys like Jessie Bates, Quandre Diggs and Jevon Holland and then looked at teams like ECU coming into this year," Ingle said. "I've even spent time with guys like Isaiah (Moore) learning more about what he sees at linebacker and getting a better understanding of the other positions around me."
He agrees with Fagan when it comes to where NC State's defense should be ranked this season.
"Best in the nation," Ingle said. "We've got all the tools in place and the talent. We've got the fire and the passion that other teams don't."
Wilson, who lost the majority of his 2021 season to a shoulder injury, said that individual players were expected to do their own film study in addition to what the team was watching together.
"In the past, we might have not known what we were supposed to do every play," Wilson said. "That's something we took upon ourselves this year — to know what we're doing every single play on every single snap."
Every snap will count as the Wolfpack looks to end a 42-year ACC championship drought.
"Last year's stats won't win this year's games," said coach Dave Doeren, entering his 10th season with the Wolfpack. "But if we can keep all these guys on track, we can be very good on defense this year."
David Thompson is an award-winning reporter for the USA Today Network covering NC State and Duke athletics. He can be reached at dthompson1@gannett.com, at 828-231-1747, or on Twitter at @daveth89.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Why NC State football believes Wolfpack defense is No. 1 in the nation
