Pennix looks to bring versatility to Wolfpack offense in new role
Over Dave Doeren’s tenure, position changes have been nothing new for NC State football players. While the shift Trent Pennix is making isn’t as big of a change as, say, Jakobi Meyers swapping from quarterback to receiver, Garrett Bradbury from tight end to center, or Grant Gibson moving from defensive tackle to the interior of the offensive line, it’s still an adjustment.
Throughout the spring, summer, and now into fall camp, the former full-time running back has been making the transition to more of an H-back/tight end spot. It’s been an adjustment, but it’s a role Pennix is starting to feel more and more comfortable with.
“I’m getting used to it,” Pennix said. “The boys, during the year, they really helped me get comfortable with all the plays, all the formations, the concepts. It’s getting to the point where it’s starting to reflect off me to help out the new freshmen that just came in. I’m teaching them as well, they’re progressing as well. I feel like we can really do some good things on the field as a whole unit and position group.”
Moving Pennix to more of an “all-purpose back” spot makes sense for this NC State team on a number of levels. With the two-headed monster of Bam Knight and Ricky Person, and the depth behind them that includes Jordan Houston (though Houston took reps at receiver on the first day of fall camp) and redshirt freshman Delbert Mimms, the Pack has plenty of depth at the traditional running back spot. Making this switch is a way to get Pennix, and his skillset, on the field more often, and especially with Cary Angeline deparating.
And it’s a skill set this team wants on the field. Pennix brings an ideal blend of size (6-foot-3, 230 pounds), speed/explosiveness, and ball skills, as he spent time as a receiver during his high school days. When it comes to the H-back/tight end role, Pennix checks all the boxes this offense is looking for, especially if he can avoid some of the minor injuries he’s had throughout his Wolfpack career.
“He’s just got a unique blend of size, agility, and ball skills,” said head coach Dave Doeren. “We’ve just got to keep him on the field. He’s had a lot of minor injuries throughout his career that have never allowed to be a sustained part of our packages on offense, whether it’s a hamstring, a wrist, a shoulder, whatever. Nothing major, but as a coach, it’s about having the same guy with you every day so you can continually give him the same stuff, build off of it, and we’re hoping that he can get to be one of those guys that we can count on week to week.”
For Pennix, who actually started a game at tight end when injuries ravaged the Pack’s depth chart in 2019, being able to bring that versatility and give Devin Leary another weapon is a role he looks forward to playing.
“I feel like the coaches really depend on my speed, my power, and my athletic ability to do anything; versatility,” Pennix said. “Anything that the coaches need on the field, I’m able to put myself out there and do whatever they need.”
As Pennix, with the help of tight ends coach Goebbel, has added new skills to his repertoire, he’s looking to be a chess piece of sorts that’s capable of making an impact all over the offense by learning as much as possible about each position.
“It all started when coach Goebbel told me that I might end up playing both,” Pennix said. “Coach Goebbel tells me when looking at the playbook, as I’m studying, don’t just focus on one position, focus on all the positions – so that includes all the receivers as well. Who knows, I could be in that position as well. But he tells me to study conceptually, look at different diagrams, because everybody on our offense could be at any kind of position, so it’s kind of important for us to study the whole system instead of just focusing on one certain thing.”
If this role Pennix is switching into is starting to sound familiar for Wolfpack fans, it should. During his college career from 2014-17, Jaylen Samuels was the ultimate Swiss Army Knife for the Wolfpack, capable of making an impact both on the ground and in the air.
Samuels leads NC State in all-time receptions (201) and is second in touchdowns from scrimmage (47). In their film study to prepare Pennix for his new role, Pennix and Goebbel have spent a good deal of time watching Samuels’ college film.
And, thanks to a connection from NC State assistant athletics director and football sports information director Annabelle Myers, Pennix has had a chance to speak with “JaySam” about his new duties.
“I was able to ask him how he was able to manage playing different positions at the same time, how it feels to be trusted, and what he did to be the person that he is today,” Pennix said. “He gave me all the information that I needed, and we just clicked right then and there.”
Asking Pennix to make the same impact Samuels did is setting the bar high, but he does possess the ideal traits to play this role and play it well.
And if Pennix can make anywhere near the level of impact that Samuels did, it’ll add another dimension to an NC State offense that already has plenty to be excited about entering the 2021 season.