NC State had the luxury of sending Nyheim Hines back to return kicks for a long time—Hines led NC State in kickoff returns in each of the last three seasons. He was also the team’s leading punt returner in 2017. The Wolfpack will replace him with talented guys, just not guys with a lot of experience in these roles.
During a quick meeting with media members on Tuesday, Dave Doeren discussed the situation at returner, and mentioned Jakobi Meyers, Steph Louis, Maurice Trowell, and Thayer Thomas as standouts so far during spring practice.
Of that group, only Trowell has returned a kick in a college game before—he had two kickoff returns for 57 yards last season.