ACC Football is Back and so is Tyrone Riley

No one is happier about football being back than NC State offensive lineman Tyrone Riley, who couldn't stand the thought of missing two straight seasons after having his 2019 campaign ended by injury literally before it ever began

It was touch and go there for awhile, especially back in mid-August after the Big Ten and Pac-12 jumped the gun by pulling the plug on their respective seasons. But despite all the doubts and a lack of fans in the stands, the ACC officially returned to the football field Saturday.

And no one was happier about it than Tyrone Riley.

The NC State offensive tackle had already missed one full season, having had his 2019 campaign ended by injury literally before it ever began. So the last thing he wanted or needed was another autumn of inactivity.

"Last year was really hard. It was really hard for me," he said. "I finally felt like it was my time to be on the field and show what I could do and it was taken from me so early that I feel like that’s what made it worse for me. It was taken so early that I didn’t even get a chance to play a game. It weighed heavy on me."

A former defensive lineman who once recorded a tackle on Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson, Riley switched over to offense as a redshirt junior and was penciled in as a starter last season until he suffered a broken foot on the very first day of camp.

"It was a routine play in practice, something that we did all the time," the 6-foot-6, 305-pound graduate student said. "It was just a freak accident."

Riley was immediately ruled out for the season, the first of an unprecedented number of casualties suffered by the Wolfpack.

In the meantime, he did what he could to stay engaged with his teammates until being cleared to begin rehabbing, then finally graduating to on-the-field workouts. 

"I really watched a lot of film," he said. "I got back to doing individual drills, trying to expand my knowledge of the game. I was still around the team a lot, I didn’t check out of it. I was around the boys a lot and doing everything I was supposed to do."

Even though he was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, guaranteeing him an opportunity to return in 2020, the waiting was almost as painful as the injury itself -- especially as the losses began to mount in a 4-8 season that ended with six consecutive losses.

The inactivity has only helped Riley appreciate football more than ever now that he's back and healthy again. Saturday's long-awaited season opener against Wake Forest at Carter-Finley Stadium can't get here soon enough for him.

"I’m definitely excited to be back out there," he said. "I have no doubt in my mind about my foot. I’m feeling confident and just happy to be back out there playing ball."

Once again projected as a starter, Riley is part of a veteran offensive line that features fellow upper classmen Justin Witt -- who also missed much of last season because of injury -- and Joe Sculthorpe, along with rising star Icky Ekwonu and center Grant Gibson, one of the few members of the Wolfpack to start every game in 2019.

"I honestly think this is probably one of the best offensive line groups that we’ve had at State," Riley said. "There’s definitely a lot of competition, which is good, especially after the season that we had last year. It’s good competition. We all push each other to be better. It’s just good competition. I think it’s going to work out for the best."

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