Secondary Suffers Another Season-Ending Loss

NC State coach Dave Doeren has announced that safety Rakeim Ashford is "done," making him the second member of the Wolfpack's secondary to suffer a season-ending injury

NC State's secondary has suffered its second season-ending injury of the season.

Coach Dave Doeren announced during a virtual media conference Thursday that safety Rakeim Ashford is "done," joining cornerback Teshaun Smith on the sideline. Both players have shoulder ailments.

Ashford, a junior college transfer who only joined the program on July 30, made an immediate splash for the Wolfpack by recording 10 tackles and breaking up a pass on the final play of an opening week victory against Wake Forest.

But he he was injured after playing 34 snaps in his first career start at Virginia Tech before missing last week's win at Pittsburgh. And according to Doeren, he won't be playing for the Wolfpack again in 2020.

Team spokesperson Annabelle Myers confirmed that Ashford is expected to undergo surgery "in couple of weeks."

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound sophomore won't be the only regular absent from the lineup for State's game at Virginia this week.

With starting nickel Tyler Baker-Williams still in contract tracing, the Wolfpack's secondary will be nearly as thin against the Cavaliers as it was last week in Pittsburgh.

"It won't change until Tyler Baker-Williams is let out of his contact tracing, which should be this Sunday or Monday," Doeren said of the situation, which has become so dire that receiver Max Fisher has been moved to safety, cornerback Tayion Palmer has been moved to nickel and true freshmen Devan Boykin and Joshua Pierre-Louis were both pressed into prominent roles.

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