Jordan Houston redshirting, moving on from NC State

NC State announced Thursday that senior running back Jordan Houston has decided to sit out the remainder of the 2023 season and redshirt. He’ll graduate this fall and, in all likelihood, transfer elsewhere for his final year. The linked tweet doesn’t say that explicitly, but it’s heavily implied that he’ll be moving on. No good reason to do this otherwise.

Remember that players now can appear in four games while still preserving their redshirt; Houston appeared in each of State’s first three games, so he could have suited up one more time, but if he had his mind made up on this move, there obviously wouldn’t be much point.

Why now for a guy who stuck it out at NC State for four-plus seasons in a mostly secondary role? My guess is that he came into this season willing to see how things shook out in the new offense, and as things haven’t changed much for him, he reckoned it was time to seek one last opportunity somewhere else.

It’s also possible that, after the performance against VMI by freshman Kendrick Raphael, the writing on the wall became clear, or the coaching staff explained to him that they were going to move Raphael up in the pecking order. With Delbert Mimms established as the short-yardage guy and Michael Allen capable of being the standard-down back, it doesn’t leave much of a niche for Houston. He had a season-low five carries against the Keydets.

In any case, I appreciate Jordan’s contributions over the years—he racked up nearly 1400 rushing yards in the red and white—and his willingness throughout to be a team player. I hope he finds a place that’ll help him shine in 2024.