The 2017 football season is already looking bright for NC State as rising senior defensive end Bradley Chubb has announced that he will return for his final year of eligibility. The 2016 second-team All-ACC performer finished his junior campaign ranked fourth nationally in tackles for loss after being the national leader following the regular season.
“I’m very happy about this decision because I know coming back to NC State is the best thing for me,” Chubb said. “I prayed about it and know that I’m supposed to stay. I have personal goals — being first-team All-ACC and All-American — that I haven’t accomplished yet, but more importantly I want to help our team accomplish our goals. We have some unfinished business and I can’t wait to get back on the field with my Wolfpack brothers and get to work.”
Chubb was a disruptive force in opponents’ backfields all season, tallying 22 tackles for loss. That mark is the second-best single-season tally in school history. Only Mario Williams, the No. 1 pick in the 2006 NFL draft, had more (27.5) for the Pack. Chubb’s 10.5 sacks tied for third in the NC State single-season record books and ranked 19th in the FBS for 2016.
“Nothing could have made our new year happier than the call from Chubb to tell me he wanted to return to NC State,” said Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren. “On the field, he is a special player, a game changer and a difference maker. Off the field he’s a great leader and a great teammate.”
The recipient of the program’s 2016 Mario Williams Award as defensive MVP, Chubb will enter his senior campaign ranked 12th in career tackles for loss (34) and 10th in sacks (16). He was on the preseason list for the 2016 Bednarik Award and was a key factor in the Wolfpack ranking eighth nationally in rushing defense, allowing just 108.6 ground yards per game — a mark that was the fifth-best in school history.
He was named the ACC’s Defensive Lineman of the Week in the Wolfpack’s win over Notre Dame this season, when he tallied 3.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. He had 4.5 TFLs in the Pack’s victory at Syracuse.
“Bradley is a tremendous young man and I look forward to seeing him develop further,” Doeren said. “Our defensive line is a brotherhood and those guys love each other. It will be an honor to see them all play together again in 2017. Having one more year in our program to grow athletically, academically and socially will only make Bradley more ready for what’s next.”