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College football 2018 preview: 15 freshmen poised to make instant impact

By Cody Williams

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA - MAY 26: Trevor Lawrence of Clemson University poses for portraits at Steve Clarkson's 14th Annual Quarterback Retreat on May 26, 2018 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
PACIFIC PALISADES, CA - MAY 26: Trevor Lawrence of Clemson University poses for portraits at Steve Clarkson's 14th Annual Quarterback Retreat on May 26, 2018 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) /
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SHREVEPORT, LA – DECEMBER 26: An NC State football helmet on display at the Camping World Independence Bowl between the Vanderbilt Commodores and the NC State Wolfpack on December 26, 2016, at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La. (Photo by John Bunch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images).
SHREVEPORT, LA – DECEMBER 26: An NC State football helmet on display at the Camping World Independence Bowl between the Vanderbilt Commodores and the NC State Wolfpack on December 26, 2016, at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La. (Photo by John Bunch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images). /

12. Ricky Person, RB, NC State

One thing that we saw a lot of in recent years from the North Carolina State Wolfpack offense was using their running backs in a variety of ways. Over the past few seasons, they’ve been able to work with the duo of Nyheim Hines and Jaylen Samuels.

Two very different players in their own rights, the combo of Hines and Samuels allowed the Wolfpack offense to attack in a variety of ways, which really opened things up for the unit as a whole. However, the problem is that neither player is in Raleigh anymore.

The good news for NC State fans is that they have a player coming into town that could potentially make up for the loss of both this season: running back Ricky Person. A 4-star recruit from Heritage High School in Wake Forest, NC, the back was the fourth-ranked player at his position coming into college this past year and had his name mentioned among some elite company.

Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing in at 202 pounds, Person really has the frame and athletic tools to do anything that’s asked of him. He’s big enough to be effective while blocking or in a bull-dozing type of role, but he has the speed and burst to be a playmaker that gets the ball in the open field.

With both Hines and Samuels in the NFL, we could be seeing Person get a lot of work right out of the gate in his collegiate career.