NC State depth-chart breakdown - secondary: Where does Tyler Baker-Williams fit in?
It took some moving around, but Tyler Baker-Williams finally found a home.
The Raleigh native played all over the field as a freshman, even lining up at running back and playing safety before settling in at nickelback position last season.
Baker-Williams, now a junior, started three games in 2019 but was in for 499 snaps, a starter’s number, and finished with 39 tackles and broke up three passes. This season he will be looked upon to lead the secondary, which was like a M.A.S.H. unit a year ago with so many injuries.
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When he looks around in fall camp, Baker-Williams is happy to see so many healthy bodies back.
“We have young guys stepping up and playing bigger roles,” Baker-Williams said. “It’s coming together, looking real good. Some of the younger guys got the experience last year, so now they look more poised and ready for the challenge.”
At 6-1, 205, Baker-Williams said he wants to be more physical in 2020 and be more involved in the run game. In the offseason, Baker-Williams was named one the top nickelbacks in the ACC by Pro Football Focus. However, he won’t let accolades go to his head.
“Coming into N.C. State I wasn’t highly recruited anyway,” Baker-Williams said. “So the rankings, I don’t pay attention to that. I was always overlooked, so I just keep playing how I play.”
Baker-Williams will learn under new position coach Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay, a former Wolfpack linebacker who is returning to his alma mater after spending last season as the defensive coordinator at nearby North Carolina Central.
“I’m just soaking in all the knowledge he knows,” Baker-Williams said. “He’s making me better.”
Here’s a breakdown of N.C. State’s secondary:
Who is expected to start?
Baker-Williams, corners Malik Dunlap (6-3, 216) and Chris Ingram (6-0, 186) and safety Tanner Ingle (5-10, 188) are all returning starters. Sophomore Jakeen Harris (5-11, 189) should join that quartet in the starting lineup. Ingram, a senior, has 19 career starts and picked off two passes a year ago. Ingle has 18 starts, and was second on the team in tackles (68). Baker-Williams has appeared in 20 games. Dunlap, a sophomore, started five games last season.
Who are the key reserves?
Junior cornerback Teshaun Smith (6-3, 191) is the most proven reserve, having started four games in his career and finished with 14 tackles last season. The rest of the group is pretty unproven. Both reserve nickels are freshmen, same for the safeties. There’s some promise with the corners, as expectations are high for redshirt freshman Shyheim Battle (6-2, 183) and sophomores Taiyon Palmer (5-11, 185) and Cecil Powell (6-1, 191). Palmer, a former four-star recruit, played in five games last season before suffering an injury that forced him to miss the rest of the year. Powell appeared in 10 games as a true freshman and also played on offense in 2019. He will be a fulltime cornerback in 2020.
Who might surprise us?
True freshman Devan Boykin (5-10, 175) enrolled in January and could get some snaps early. Had six interceptions in his prep career at Ragsdale High School. After just five spring practices, Boykin caught the eye of head coach Dave Doeren.
“I thought Devan Boykin really showed up, did a lot of positive things, very athletic defensive back,” Doeren said. “Excited about him. He’s a guy who could play early for us and probably will.”
What are the group’s strenghts?
Big corners. Six of the cornerbacks on the roster are 6-0 or taller. Getting physical at the line of scrimmage shouldn’t be an issue for the Wolfpack. The group is also versatile. Doeren talked about having players learned multiple positions in the secondary this fall. Through the first month of practice the veteran coach feels confident that most of his corners could switch to safety if needed and vice versa.
What are the group’s weaknesses?
The team only had four interceptions in 2019 and only two of those were from a defensive back (Ingram). The four interceptions ranked last in the ACC and is the team’s lowest total since 1999. The four INTs were tied for the fewest out of 130 FBS teams and the lowest of any Power Five team. N.C. State gave up 255.5 passing yards per game, 11th in the conference, and was susceptible to the big play. Opponents completed 64.3 percent of their passes against a beat up secondary in 2019.
This story was originally published September 3, 2020 at 12:29 PM with the headline "NC State depth-chart breakdown - secondary: Where does Tyler Baker-Williams fit in?."
