Redshirt Frosh DT Ibrahim Kante Creating A Buzz In Fall Camp
Ibrahim Kante's journey to NC State has been interesting.
As a high school junior, Kante was just 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds with no real position to play. Young for his age, he grew nearly seven inches as a high school senior and post-grad, and while adding weight as well, that put him in a position be recruited as a college defensive lineman.
"Coming out of high school I was really young," Kante said of his post-grad year. "I was still 17 and pretty much I needed to develop as a player. I needed to get my game up a little more so I just took that as an opportunity to get better and to prove myself on the field more."
His time at prep school Trinity Pawling (NY) opened a door to NC State for the Harlem (NY) native, a program that Kante was familiar with.
"When they first contacted me I knew about the d-line... for some reason I always knew about the NC State d-linemen," Kante said. "Mario Williams was a guy that I watched high school so that was something I always knew about. I didn't know much, but I knew about it."
Kante enrolled in the summer of 2017, and he had his ups and downs. He came in undersized while struggling to really settle in at defensive end.
"I got down to 214 at one point but right now i'm between 250 and 253," Kante said. "They want me to get to 280 because if I can get to that weight there will be no problem with me playing every down."
However he had a chance last fall to watch, and learn, from NC State's four NFL defensive linemen.
"You see those four guys, and they busted their... they went hard everyday," he said. "They show you how to be great everyday. They took every rep seriously, and you never saw them down. They always brought each other up."
Kante has been of the players creating a buzz throughout fall camp. Head coach Dave Doeren has mentioned him frequently, pointing out the progress he's made from the spring through the fall.
"Ibrahim Kante is a guy that's really played well on the d-line the last two days, and in the spring it was bad," Doeren said early in camp.
"Ibrahim Kante, I mentioned the other day, he's continued to show out on the field," he mentioned a few days later.
"In the spring I was thinking more," Kante said. "I wasn't playing well because I had a bad attitude and everything. I just wasn't a good player at the time. This summer I really tried to focus on getting better with the d-line, and I like the improvements that have been showing on the field."
One of the changes that has positively impacted Kante was the coaching staff moving him inside to defensive tackle from defensive end. With a 6-foot-11 wingspan and an explosive first-step, he's been a problem for the Wolfpack's interior offensive linemen.
"That's where we feel like he's a really good fit for us," NC State defensive line coach Kevin Patrick said of Kante. "When he puts on some more weight to play down there he's going to be a special player."
What does Patrick like so much about Kante's potential?
"He comes out very flat," Patrick added. "He's not scared of contact. He comes out and tries to strike with his eyes tied to his hands. If you get that down, you can build everything else on top of that."
Kante admits that he's learning a lot from Patrick while playing the new position.
"He's been pushing me every day," Kante said. "Even on days when my body language is bad, he's always been telling me to get up. Just taking the coaching from him and putting it on the field... he's been helping me a lot."
Patrick has indicated that there is plenty of competition right now at defensive tackle. One of the players Kante is competing with is redshirt junior Larrell Murchison, who has, along with the other upperclassmen, provided much-needed leadership.
"Roseboro, E, James, and Larrell.. they've been helping us out throughout the summer," Kante said. "When we were working out they would come in and help us out... those guys have really taken all of us under their wing."
Ibrahim Kante isn't a name frequently mentioned when talking about the Wolfpack's returning defensive linemen, but remember that name.
His head coach has raved about him, his position coach is extremely high on him, and the other defensive linemen have also taken notice.
"That man right there, he's going to be a monster," Murchison said of Kante, laughing. "At his weight right now, he does incredible things that catches your eye. He's going against the ones and doing the same things. .. striking them. He's definitely made a big improvement."