News, notes, rumors and quick-hitters from the football scene around the Old North State:
Former Pack RB Ricky Person Jr. powering UFL’s only undefeated team
Ricky Person Jr., who rushed for nearly 2,000 yards and accounted for 18 total touchdowns during his time at NC State (2018-21), has been one of the shining stars in the spring United Football League. The former Franklinton and Heritage high school standout shares main rushing duties for the only undefeated team in the league, the 8-0 Birmingham Stallions.
Person leads the UFL with six rushing touchdowns. He’s fifth in total rushing yards with 296 on 86 carries.
Person had a team-high 63 yards in Saturday night’s 35-28 triumph over Houston. Birmingham has already clinched a spot in its division championship game.
Person joined Birmingham in 2023. The Stallions are 28-3 over the past three seasons, winning two USFL championships before joining the new UFL — a merger between the USFL and XFL — for 2024.
FCS transfer portal tracker
HEROSports.com has done a thorough job keeping up with how the transfer portal has affected FCS teams around the nation. Reviewing their comprehensive reporting, NC Football News compiled a list of player movement into and out of the state’s seven FCS programs. (All credit goes to HERO Sports for doing the leg-work).
Here is that story, which we published over the weekend: FCS Transfer Portal Tracker
NC college baseball teams provide a ‘What If?’ for state’s football programs
Imagine checking a Top 25 college football poll this coming season and seeing North Carolina ranked seventh, Wake Forest eighth, Duke 11th, East Carolina 13th and NC State 17th.
That was the state of things in college baseball heading into this past weekend, the final one of the regular season. All four of the state’s Big Four ACC teams, as well as East Carolina, sat inside D1Baseball’s top 20 (with UNC Wilmington also receiving votes). Carolina sealed the ACC regular season title with a series win over Duke, while Wake is coming off an appearance in the College World Series semifinals in 2023. Few teams are playing as well as NC State right now.
Reading about the success of college baseball in the Old North State in recent years had us wondering: Has State, Carolina, Duke, Wake and ECU ever been in the top 25 at the same time in college football? Our research couldn’t find any instances, alas, but imagine the bedlam that would ensue if these five schools (along with App State and Charlotte) could all hit their peak in the same season.
Collectively speaking, the past two seasons have been among the strongest for our state’s FBS contingent. In 2022, North Carolina and Duke won nine games apiece, while NC State, Wake and ECU each won eight. This past season, App State and NC State reached the nine-win plateau, while Duke and Carolina finished with eight victories. App State played for a conference title in 2023, while the Tar Heels made the ACC title game in ’22.
We may never see the Old North State dominate college football the way our baseball teams have been doing lately (or how our basketball teams have done throughout the decades). But then again, maybe North Carolina can emerge as a gridiron hotbed in the ever-changing collegiate landscape. Our state’s high school talent has never been better, as evidenced by numerous top 10 recruits in recent years.
As NC State fans have taught us to say, Why Not Us?
College Football Master Schedule Nearly Complete
We’re constantly updating our North Carolina college football master schedule for the 2024 season as kickoff times and new match-ups come in. Curious who and when your favorite teams are playing? Check out the Master Schedule HERE. The season is roughly 100 days away!
Quick-Hitters
East Carolina added another player to its quarterback room over the weekend, signing Bryson Harrison, a transfer from Georgia State. Harrison has four years of eligibility left and will join the QB mix with other transfers Katin Houser (Michigan State) and Jake Garcia (Missouri), redshirt freshman Raheim Jeter and prep signee Cole Hodge, according to Hoist the Colours.
The 2024 edition of Phil Steele’s College Football preview magazine goes to the presses June 5. The pre-order the magazine, visit www.PhilSteele.com. You’ll be hard-pressed to find any football magazine with as much information as Phil Steele’s annual almanac.
