Kicking woes have haunted N.C. State football coach Dave Doren for the past two years, but he might have found his answer in Virginia Tech’s backyard.
Former Blacksburg High School standout and former Virginia Tech placekicker Carson Wise is now in Raleigh. He comes to the Wolfpack after two years at Carson Newman.
In 2015, he sat on the sidelines as a Hokie backup and never took a true kick in Blacksburg. He transferred to the Division II Carson Newman a month later where he compiled an outstanding career.
N.C. State had three chances last season to knock off the eventual national champions in an overtime loss to Clemson. The Wolfpack kicker missed a 33-yard field goal that would have won the game as time expired in regulation and then missed three more in overtime.
On the season, the ACC school was nine of 17 on field goals and Wolfpack kickers combined to miss three extra points.
Wise was 21 of 31 on field goal attempts at Carson Newman and was 97 for 101 on point after attempts.
Doren has called Wise a great acquisition as a graduate transfer who will make a major difference for his squad this season. He is eligible to play immediately.
“He is a talented player who should be a great addition to our special teams as we look for him to handle our field goal and kickoff duties this fall,” he said.
Wise’s career long at Carson Newman was a 49-yarder, but at Blacksburg he connected on a 55 yarder and still ranks in the top five in Virginia prep history with 32 field goals made in his high school career.
When he started looking at schools to pursue a master’s degree at, he wanted to continue his playing career, and that’s where N.C. State came into play.
“N.C. State was the first school that I was able to get in touch with, and after I took a visit and began to get to know the coaches and the program, I knew that’s where I wanted to end up,” he said
The team and the staff, according to Wise, have been incredible in helping him feel at home.
“We’ve got a really close and selfless team which helped make the transition easy. Being from Blacksburg hasn’t played a role in anything. Everybody comes from somewhere, and I am part of the Wolfpack now,” he said.
His focus is to be able to contribute in whatever way he can to benefit his new team.
“We’ve got some great team goals that we are working to accomplish as a program. Those are really the only goals we are focused on, and I am working to contribute to that process,” he said.
Of course, in the back of his mind is a chance to show Virginia Tech what they missed out on. While the two teams don’t play during the regular season, there is an outside chance they could meet for the conference championship.
“I hope we do play them this year because that would mean we were in the ACC championship. But whether it was against them or another school wouldn’t be important to me, I’d approach the game the same either way. I’m part of the Wolfpack, and I love what this program is about. We’ve got a high energy team that holds each other to a high standard of excellence in a way that I have never seen before,” Wise said.
