Raleigh – When N.C. State and Western Carolina University teed it up Thursday, there were four players from the Smoky Mountain Conference donning the lineups for both teams.
Two were from N.C. State in offensive tackle Tyler West from Andrews and offensive lineman Yousef Mugharbil from Murphy. For the Catamounts, starting defensive end Micah Nelson from Murphy and Joshua Collins, who is listed as a running back from Swain County.
Nelson, who was recovering from a season-ending injury last year, did not play in the game as he will not be cleared to play until September. Nelson had been nominated for the Campbell Trophy this year as well as being named to second team All-Southern Conference.
Nelson had been named to first team Southern All-Conference in 2023 before his injury, which caused him to miss much of last season. The Campbell Trophy is awarded to the college football plater who has the best combination of academics, community service and on-field performance. It is considered by many to be the “Academic Heisman.”
Collins, who was running the ball for the Maroon Devils last year, has caused some stir in training camp this year with the Catamounts. He is listed deep on the depth chart, but just to be included there as a true freshman is a pretty good indicator of his future.
It’s normal for true freshman who show up in summer to be redshirted. However, so far, Collins had not been, so Western’s coaches obviously think highly of him.
Mugharbil played on Murphy’s last state championship team in 2021. The four-star lineman originally signed with Florida, followed his line coach to Colorado and then transferred to N.C. State. Mugharbil was listed as third on the depth chart at left guard for the Wolfpack.
West was an outstanding lineman the last three years at Andrews and signed with N.C. State in the spring. Since he didn’t report until summer camp, he will likely be redshirted this year. He was not listed on the depth chart for this game.
The Wolfpack got the 38-21 win over the Catamounts after a close first half. The Catamounts will host Campbell in their next game at 1 p.m. Saturday. The No. 24 ranked Wolfpack will host the No. 15 ranked Tennessee Volunteers in the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte at 7:30 p.m. that day.