HENDERSON: Now Is The Time To Retire No. 9

One of the initial football recruiting events that I ever covered was the 2002 Shrine Bowl, and it was my first chance to watch Mario Williams. 

In 2002, recruiting wasn't covered like it today.  There were recruiting services, but the level of coverage doesn't compare.  You didn't have social media or Hudl.  Film was extremely tough to come by.  In fact, you often didn't get a photo of a recruit until Signing Day, if at all.

Some of the players were more myth than anything else.  Long-time Wolfpack recruiting fans will know the name William Johnson. Was he even a real person?

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Mario Williams

"Super Mario" was like that early on.  Hailing from Richlands, North Carolina, Williams committed to NC State extremely early in the process and developed into one of the top recruits in the country. At that Shrine Bowl, he was dominant... a freak of nature.  I'd never seen anybody like him with his size and quick-twitch athleticism.  Chances were high that he was going to be a star.

A few weeks later he arrived at NC State and went on to have an outstanding career, establishing virtually every record for defensive linemen in Raleigh before being selected No. 1 overall in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans.

Mario was a special talent blessed with unique physical gifts.  At the NFL draft combine he measured in at 6-foot-7 and 295 pounds.  He ran a 4.73 40-yard dash and vertically jumped over 40 inches...  there hasn't been a defensive lineman enter the draft with those measurables since.

Add in his production, and I didn't think another guy would come along like him at NC State.  
But I was wrong because Bradley Chubb showed up a few years later.

While Bradley didn't match Mario in terms of measurables or hype, a case could be made for Chubb having a better overall career, which says a lot.  When you look at what Chubb has accomplished, he did so in a different manner than Williams, who was a mid-year enrollee and contributed as a true freshman. Chubb didn't enroll early and saw little action as a true freshman while playing outside linebacker.

However, both of them had one thing in common.  They were dominant forces for multiple years and game-changers at the defensive end position.

Williams wore No. 82 in high school before selecting the No. 9 at NC State.  I don't know why he chose that No. 9.  At that time, you didn't see defensive linemen wearing single-digit numbers.  It just wasn't common.  Now it seems every game being played on Saturday has multiple defensive linemen wearing single digits and often it is No. 9 they are sporting.

Did Mario play a role in that?

In March of 2014 NC State decided to honor the No. 9 jersey, along with Russell Wilson's No. 16.  The Wolfpack administration chose to "honor" instead of "retire." Future players would continue to wear the number but would do so while wearing a commemorative patch in Mario's honor.

Chubb started out his career in 2014 wearing No. 49.  Dave Doeren mentioned the possibility of wearing No. 9 to Chubb prior to the 2016 season, and from that point on, Chubb was No. 9 and never looked back.  

He ended up shattering Mario's career records, and after the 2017 season he was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year, the first of several awards for Chubb.  

So why even honor that number anymore?   It's time to retire the No. 9 jersey at NC State.  After what Chubb and Williams have accomplished, no one else should wear that number again.

Eight NC State football players have their jersey numbers retired at NC State.

Those jerseys will never be worn again, but No. 9  could be and that just doesn't seem right.

Chubb added to his collection of hardware Monday night when he was named the winner of the 2017 Nagurski Award which is given to college football's best defensive player. 

He is the best defensive player in college football.

Chubb winning the Nagurski is arguably the greatest individual accomplishment ever for a Wolfpack football player.

Mario Williams was the first ACC player to be selected No. 1 overall in the NFL draft. 

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Bradley Chubb

Those are two unique distinctions by two different players who both wore No. 9.  Remind me again why exactly that number is not retired?  

At this point, you're almost putting too much pressure on a player to wear that number going forward.  While some future NC State defensive linemen may want to don it, others won't.

Wolfpack four-star commitment Alim McNeill, who is being recruited to play defensive end, stated he would prefer to wear No. 44 for the Wolfpack.  He doesn't want to wear No. 9.  That doesn't mean McNeill won't work to be a better player than Chubb or Williams.

"I think about Chubb's sack record everyday," McNeill said.  "Everyday I'm working out, drinking my water, everyday I'm thinking about breaking that."

Junior defensive end Darian Roseboro made similar statements prior to enrolling at NC State, stating he preffered to build his own legacy than wear No. 9 (at the time Chubb wasn't wearing he number).

Players may not want the pressure that comes with wearing a jersey that carries so much prestige. Bradley Chubb was willing to do that and not only did he wear it with honor, he exceeded Mario Williams on the field. 

In 2014 there wasn't much outrage when the school elected to honor the jersey instead of retiring it, but after what Bradley  has accomplished, and when you look at his career and Mario's career, it's a no-brainer.

Chubb and Williams were two players who not only starred on the field, but were outstanding student-athletes who represented NC State the best possible way.  Neither had a single public off-the-field incident while in Raleigh, and both were lauded by their coaches for their leadership qualities. 

"Bradley is everything that's right about college football," Dave Doeren said of Chubb.  "It's so great to see his hard work and dedicatoin be rewarded on a national stage."

Chuck Amato made similar comments about Mario in 2006.  Character-wise, both are off the charts.  Bradley did it the right way. Mario did it the right away.

Dennis Byrd is the only defensive player to have his number retired at NC State.  Byrd played well before my time, although I do remember when his number was retired in 2001.  A member of the legendary "White Shoes Defense," he was the Wolfpack's first two-time All-American.

I'm sure he was an outstanding football player and Wolfpack legend, but with what both Bradley and Mario have accomplished, the No. 9 needs to be next to No. 77.

Who will be the next young defensive lineman to wear No. 9?  

The answer should be is simple: no one.

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Bradley Chubb, Mario Williams