NC State football countdown to kickoff: 26

The NC State football season opener for 2022 is at East Carolina on Sept. 3 — or 26 days away from Monday. The Wolfpacker continues its countdown for the season with notes about the number 26.

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26: Significant notes involving the number 26 in NC State football history

• There are two promising young defenders on the NC State football roster who wear No. 26.

Third-year sophomore Devon Betty is among those next in line at weakside linebacker. Last season, Betty (6-foot-1, 225 pounds) started the final four games of the year after injuries cost the unit two starters. The Carver Ranches, Fla., native had 21 tackles in those starts, including four for loss and a sack. Betty additionally added a quarterback hurry and a pass breakup.

He also had a safety at Boston College, and after Isaiah Moore went down with a knee injury at Miami, Betty came in and had seven tackles, including 2.5 for loss. Overall, he finished the year with 39 tackles, including 7.5 for loss and a sack, for NC State.

With Moore back as a super senior and fifth-year redshirt junior Payton Wilson returning from injury, Betty is likely resuming a reserve role this fall. At NC State’s first practice of the year, Betty was backing up Moore at middle linebacker.

• The other No. 26 on the defense for NC State is cornerback Jackson Vick. On3 rated Vick as a four-star recruit in the 2022 class, the No. 227 prospect overall in the country and the No. 5 player in the state of North Carolina.

The 5-foot-11, 172-pounder from Bailey, N.C., played primarily running back at Southern Nash High, rushing 138 times for 1,211 yards and 16 touchdowns and adding four scoring receptions in 10 games as a senior.

However, NC State always targeted Vick at cornerback. He chose the Pack over offers from Duke, Syracuse and Wake Forest, among others, and enrolled early.

• Former NC State football defensive back Art McMahon wore No. 26 for the Pack. He was one of two team captains on the famous 1967 team that went 9-2 and challenged for a national title and was a leader on the “White Shoes” defense. That squad started 8-0 and rose to No. 3 in the national poll before losing a heartbreaking 14-8 game at Penn State.

A year before, McMahon was a first-team All-ACC selection for NC State. After college, McMahon played four seasons in the NFL, intercepting three passes.

• On the 26th day of the month, NC State football is 4-2 under head coach Dave Doeren, including bowl wins over Central Florida in 2014 and Vanderbilt two years later. However, by far the most memorable victory came on Nov. 26, 2021.

That’s when NC State rallied for a thrilling 34-30 win over archrival North Carolina at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

There are no games on the 26th this season for NC State football.