Ekwonu Emerging as Energizing Force on Offensive Line
NC State’s football team has a plethora of young talent. While the lack of experience can be seen as a detriment in a league with seasoned players, the Wolfpack prides itself on how well it’s been able to develop its underclassmen.
One of the young players to have showcased his abilities in the wake of injuries on the offensive line is freshman offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu. Since arriving from Providence Day H.S. in Charlotte, his drive to succeed was evident from the start.
“I obviously want to start, but I’m going to take it a day at a time to see where they fit me in,” Ekwonu said during fall camp. “I’m going to work as hard as I possibly can, and whatever happens, happens."
What happened was that Ekwonu found himself as the No. 2 left tackle behind graduate student offensive tackle Emanuel McGirt, Jr. in the opening game against East Carolina. After an injury to redshirt junior offensive tackle Justin Witt forced McGirt to move to right tackle, Ekwonu moved to a starting role against Syracuse.
Ekwonu has played in a total of 289 snaps thus far this season, and with Witt and graduate student offensive tackle Tyrone Riley out for the season, his role is even more crucial. However, despite his relative inexperience compared to his downed teammates, the freshman is motivated to rise to the challenge.
“It feels really good,” Ekwonu said. “I’m glad I get to be coached up by Coach Garrison. I have people like Emanuel McGirt, Tyrone [Riley], and Joe Sculthorpe to help coach me up. I’m glad I’m getting this opportunity to develop a little more while playing against some of the best in the ACC.”
One of the biggest challenges for Ekwonu and the Pack’s offensive line is next on the schedule in Wake Forest’s Carlos Basham, Jr. The Roanoke, Va. product leads the Demon Deacons in tackles for loss with 10.5 for 33 yards and in sacks with 4.5 for 21 yards. Ekwonu relishes the opportunity to test his abilities against one of the conference’s fiercest edge rushers.
“[Basham’s] got really good speed off the ball,” Ekwonu said. “His pass-rushing moves are really good. I’m really excited to go against top D-ends like that in the ACC. I got some good looks against really good D-ends against Florida State, Syracuse, and Boston College. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Wake Forest will present a challenge for the Wolfpack; that much is clear. With a potent Demon Deacon offense, NC State will have to answer in kind if that force cannot be contained. Despite being stymied as of late and a new quarterback change throwing a wrench into the mix, Ekwonu believes that the Pack offense is on the cusp of becoming a finely tuned machine.
“I know a lot of the struggles are just one tiny little thing on a play,” Ekwonu said. “I can point out a block against Syracuse, in my opinion. It was a trap block, and I missed the block. If I’d made the block, Jordan Houston would have gone for 70. It’s just small things like that.
“I know that everything is fixable,” Ekwonu continued. “We have full faith in Coach Kitchings, Coach McDonald, and all of the staff. We’ve just got to fix a couple of little things, and I think this offense is going to be really good."