Assessing the Performance of the NC State Safeties in 2025

RALEIGH — NC State finished its 2025 season successfully, winning three of the final four games, including the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa, Florida. The Wolfpack's defense massively improved down the stretch, putting together a huge turnaround in performances where it allowed fewer than 20 points on three occasions.

The Pack dealt with massive losses on the injury front on the defensive side of the field, particularly in the secondary. By the end of the season, several true and redshirt freshman safeties were getting significant playing time to get the team across the finish line in those spots. How did the group perform overall in 2025?

Snap counts for NC State's safeties in 2025

Oct 25, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack safety Tristan Teasdell (19) intercepts the ball against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Redshirt freshman Asaad Brown Jr. - 673 snaps
Redshirt freshman Ronnie Royal III - 442 snaps
Freshman Tristan Teasdell - 369 snaps
Graduate senior JJ Johnson - 270 snaps
Redshirt freshman Brody Barnhardt - 209 snaps
Redshirt freshman Jivan Baly - 97 snaps

Reviewing the performance of the group

Ronnie Royal II — NC State defensive back Iii Ronnie Royal, right, chases down Notre Dame wide receiver Will Pauling in the first half of a NCAA football game at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The position group was a massive question mark coming into the 2025 season, with so many young players moving into key roles after offseason injuries affected the unit. Ronnie Royal III struggled mightily in the early portions of the season before suffering an injury against Pittsburgh and starting to round into better form after his return.

The tandem of Royal and fellow redshirt freshman Brody Barnhardt appeared to be the go-to options at the safety spots. Just as Barnhardt began figuring some things out in his first season with playing time, he suffered a season-ending injury in his fifth game, a loss to Virginia Tech at home. That injury forced safeties and nickels coach Charlton Warren to move even further down the depth chart for help.

Teasdell and Brown — Nov 1, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack saftey Tristan Teasdell (19) and defensive back Asaad Brown Jr. (26) tackle Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Malachi Hosley (0) during the first quarter at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Enter Tristan Teasdell and Asaad Brown Jr. The pair of young safeties quickly established themselves as prominent prospects for the Wolfpack in the back of the defense, performing well against Notre Dame and Pittsburgh, despite the rest of the defense getting gashed in those games. Teasdell became more comfortable in his first college reps and turned himself into a valuable run stopper at times.

Brown's emergence was promising, given the resources and time the Wolfpack spent on cross-training him between safety and nickel during the offseason. He quietly became one of the most reliable members of the defense, especially within the diminished safety group. He ended the year with an interception and allowed just one touchdown in coverage.

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