Sean Brown Poised to Lead Havoc-Minded Wolfpack Defense
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Entering the 2025 season for the Wolfpack, there has been a lot of discussion about pressuring the quarterback and causing havoc in the backfield. While the pass rush numbers weren’t the best last season, the NC State defense is returning one of its best players from a season ago.
While the scheme may be different and the fronts may shift from drive to drive, there’s one thing senior linebacker Sean Brown loves to cause, and he doesn’t need a scheme to do it. Brown is locked and loaded to cause havoc from sideline to sideline for the Wolfpack one last time.
It was a slow start for Brown a season ago, but even from the first snaps from games like against Tennessee, he showcased his knack for getting to the ball and making tackles. According to Pro Football Focus, he led the Wolfpack in snaps with 779 and finished the year with a team-high 87 tackles and 41 defensive stops (tackles that constitute a failure for the offense).
As fall camp ramps up, Brown shared what he worked on this offseason in an interview with the ACC Network.
“Just working on my leadership and holding guys accountable,” Brown said. “Last season obviously didn’t go the way we wanted to, so now we know what doesn’t work. So we’re just flipping that script of knowing we have to try different things and that’s why I really like coach Doeren, because he’s a coach that’s willing to learn and willing to learn from his guys.”
“So he’s asking us what works and what doesn’t work. We’re just implementing that into the defense.”
Doeren certainly isn’t scared to learn from mistakes, by showcasing that in the offseason by hiring a new offensive and defensive coordinator. D.J. Eliot now handles the defense with a new type of scheme.
It’s a learning curve for the entire unit, and Brown mentioned in the same interview that Eliot has been more vocal in the film room than on the field. The team still has a few weeks before the season opener against East Carolina, which the Wolfpack lost to in the Military Bowl in December.
There is no better way to start a season than with a win against a team you lost to last year to close things out. Brown will certainly make sure the defense is ready for the task.
As a defense, we just want to fly around... Wreak havoc on the offense and just create more turnover.Sean Brown
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Daniel Rios graduated from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. His deep passion for sports has taken him to positions at ESPN and Cronkite News. Currently, he serves as the Assistant Beat Writer for the North Carolina State Wolfpack On SI.
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