NC State Bolsters Linebacker Room With Former All-MEAC Player

The Wolfpack linebacker room has new faces new to power four conference play

Jul 25, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren speaks to the media during the ACC Kickoff at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

North Carolina State lost 23 players to the transfer portal this past offseason. One of those players was Kamal Bonner who started for the Wolfpack this past season at linebacker, Bonner is now apart of the Miami Hurricanes down south. To help replenish the losses like Bonner, NC State obtained four backers from the transfer portal this offseason. 

One of those backers is junior AJ Richardson who once was a Norfolk State Spartan. The 6-foot-1, 235 pound backer from Kings Mountain, North Carolina was a zero-star recruit coming out of high school. His senior season he achieved 92 tackles, 15 sacks and three fumble recoveries.

AGTG! COMMITTED!! pic.twitter.com/FemtUR8vH3

— AJ.R (@arichardson441) December 25, 2024

Still with those statistics, Richardson only had one offer coming out of high school according to 247Sports, the Spartans.

Norfolk State 

Richardson didn’t need stars to prove his worth while he was a Spartan. He quickly showcased his natural instincts at the linebacker position. He played in 11 games, making seven starts. In those starts he had the most tackles on the team with 69 with 11 of them for losses. His play earned him FCS freshman All-American Honors, was named to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference All-Second Team Defense. 

He was even more productive as a sophomore, he upped his tackles to 100 leading the MEAC and was an All-MEAC First Team selection. According to Pro Football Focus, he led the MEAC with 37 run defensive stops. 

His pass coverage as a linebacker also improved, he allowed 17 receptions on 24 targets for only 138 yards. He gave up an NFL passer rating of 67.7 in his sophomore season compared to a 105.5 in his freshman year. 

After dominating the MEAC it was time to move on. Richardson was an athletic and rangy linebacker in the portal and those skills mixed in with his play, 247Sports rated him as a three-star linebacker in the portal, earning him the 76th best linebacker in the portal. 

NC State

Richardson committed to NC State in December of last year. He now enters a linebacker room filled with depth but a lot of promising young players. Redshirt senior Sean Brown returns as the leading tackler from a season ago, and others like redshirt senior Caden Fordham still remain. 

It’ll be interesting to see how head coach Dave Doeren decides to rotate his linebacker room, it’s a promising group yet remains unproven.   

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