NC State star freshman receiver KC Concepcion to stay with program
N.C. State star wide receiver Kevin “KC” Concepcion will stay with the Wolfpack, the Savage Wolves NIL Collective announced Tuesday.
Savage Wolves co-founder Tom Livolsi tweeted a photo of Concepcion and former Wolfpack receiver Thayer Thomas after the Minnesota Vikings’ Monday Night Football game against Chicago.
In a reply to the original post, Livolsi said, in no uncertain terms, “He’s staying home.”
This comes days after N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren encouraged fans to support the NIL collectives, noting the team’s impressive turnaround and the need for financial support. NCAA rules prohibit coaches from contributed to collective funds.
“We get into maybe the worst week in college football coming up with the portal and all that other stuff,” Doeren said. “For all you folks that want us to keep winning, I would tell you to get on Savage Wolves. Find that link. I’d love to see 5,000 people donate $1,000 to our NIL, and get us to a point where we can recruit, retain and develop and have a program in the NIL world where the guys on our roster are able to benefit from that. I think in this space right now, there’s a lot of bad stuff happening. There needs to be a financial commitment from our fan base to Savage Wolves and Pack of Wolves and our NIL deals so that we can take care of these kids that play so hard for us.”
Concepcion, a true freshman from Charlotte, played at receiver and at running back this season. He also took a few snaps as a quarterback, notably a trick play for a touchdown at Virginia Tech.
Concepcion finished the regular season with 64 catches for 767 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. In the team’s win over North Carolina, Concepcion hauled in seven catches for a career-high 131 yards and two scores.
He set new freshman records – before the regular season finale – for touchdown catches and receptions, as well.
Concepcion’s impressive performances have been noticed by the ACC and national organizations. He earned ACC Rookie of the Week three times and Wide Receiver of the Week once, including both honors for his efforts against the Tar Heels.
Additionally, the rookie is a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman Player of the Year award.
While Concepcion plans to stay with the Wolfpack, the program waits to see who opts to leave the program or who will remain. The portal officially opens on Dec. 4 and closes on Jan. 2. The portal reopens on April 15-30 after spring practices.
This story was originally published November 28, 2023 at 3:24 PM with the headline "NC State star freshman receiver KC Concepcion to stay with program."
