Justin Joly was the No. 2,112 recruit in the country coming out of high school. He attacked his first two years of college with a chip on his shoulder that is now embedded in his being.
NC State’s versatile junior tight end is seven months into his tenure with the Wolfpack. The four-star transfer started his career at UConn after growing up in New Rochelle, New York. He developed into a productive pass catcher with the Huskies, hit the portal after the 2023 season and joined the Wolfpack.
When Joly committed to NC State, he was the No. 1-ranked transfer tight end in the country. He was a headlining member of the Pack’s 2024 portal class that On3 ranked No. 7 nationally. The tight end is living in a new city and playing Power Four football, but the same motivation continues to drive him.
“I come from New York, and then I came from UConn, so people are like ‘What can he really do? And can he really do it against the best?” Joly said in an interview with TheWolfpacker.com . ”That chip on my shoulder will never leave. I feel like it’s just with me. It’s with me forever.”
The Wolfpack tight end sees the public’s opinions on him. Some people think he’s underrated, others believe he’s overrated. Regardless, he’s going to approach any competition as an underdog.
External expectations are very high for the Wolfpack offense after bringing in a talented freshman class and plenty of experienced and talented players in the portal to bolster a unit highlighted by Kevin Concepcion .
Joly does not have any personal goes for the season, but he does have one for this position group. He wants to help elevate the tight end room to an elite level, returning it to the standard that offensive coordinator Robert Anae maintains.
“I just want that revival of the tight end room, for coach Anae to have his guys, the people he can count on,” Joly said.
NC State’s offensive coordinator has an established tradition of mentoring elite tight ends. During his stint at UVA, Anae coached Jelani Woods to an All-ACC first team season that included 44 receptions for 598 yards and 8 touchdowns.
He spent the next year at Syracuse, and his success with tight ends continued. Anae helped Oronde Gadsden II rack up 61 catches for 969 yards and 6 touchdowns. He also made the All-ACC first team.
Anae’s history with versatile pass catchers was a significant part of the coordinator’s recruiting pitch to Joly. They’re preparing to replicate that success together.
“I want to become one of the best tight end rooms in college football and show people that NC State has the guys to do it,” Joly said. “With coach Anae as our tight ends coach and OC, we shouldn’t be stopped at all.”
Joly watched NC State’s film from last year, so he knows tight ends were not a huge focus of the offense. Trent Pennix led the room with 15 receptions for 190 yards. This year, the tight end has lofty goals for his position group.
Joly learns by doing, which makes him a great match for Anae’s coaching style. He really admires the NC State offensive coordinator’s patience and his knowledge of the game.
“If it was like a cover two [defense], he would be like ‘Here’s what to do, when to do it, how to do it,’” Joly said. “He would make us visualize it, and then we would go out and physically do it.”
The Wolfpack offense contains air raid concepts. Anae has coached for 37 years, working under passing game legend Mike Leach from 2000-2004. Joly appreciates his willingness to throw the ball.
“He likes to put it in the air!” Joly said.
Depending on how a team defends the Pack, Anae will change a route to scheme his receivers open. The coordinator tailors his scheme to his players’ strengths.
And when Anae has a versatile tight end/wide receiver on the roster, it changes his offense.
“He’s the ultimate swiss army knife,” Anae said. “That position that he plays, the more things he can do well, the more versatile the offense becomes.”
‘Between all four of us, we can do some real damage’
Joly is not the only tight end on the roster ready to contribute this season. He competes every day with Juice Vereen — a 6-4 sophomore who played in a rotational role in 2024.
They fill similar roles in the offense as flex-y receivers. When Joly sees his underclassman peer run a crisper route or makes a tough catch, that inspires him to work harder. He said Vereen makes him better.
“I feel like that competition between me and him is great because he’s gonna bring out that dawg in me and I know I’m going bring out that dawg in him,” Joly said.
Junior college transfer Dante Daniels , an imposing 6-6, 267-pound in-line tight end, and redshirt sophomore walk-on Reid Mitchell will likely see the field as well. Joly complimented the camaraderie in the position group.
Yes, they are all competing against each other, but they root for each other as well. If one of them finds the end zone during practice, they all run on the field to celebrate. He remembers the first touchdown he scored during practice but also recalls the highlight plays from his peers as well.
“I feel like, between all four of us, we can do some real damage,” Joly said.
The Pack has not seen a tight end rack up more than 500 yards receiving in Dave Doeren’s tenure other than do-it-all playmaker Jaylen Samuels , and Anae pointed out that plenty of talented players have lined up at the position over those 11 seasons.
Joly hauled in 56 receptions for 578 yards with UConn last fall. Vereen has the talent to emerge into a larger role this season. Anae has All-ACC aspirations for the position group in 2024.
“We hope that we can prove and show, over the course of the year, execution and consistency out of the tight end spot,” Anae said. “And yeah, I’d like to see at the end of the year there is some level of all-conference recognition—first, second, third team or honorable mention— something to signify that the tight end spot is back.”
NC State’s tight end room, along with the rest of the Pack, will not have much time to establish a rhythm before competition ramps up this fall. The program travels to Charlotte in week two for a showdown with Tennessee. Joly caught 8 passes for 89 yards against the Volunteers last year.
Going into fall camp, they aren’t running from the expectations. Joly in particular has a ton of belief in this unit.
“Pressure builds diamonds,” Joly said. “We might be coal at a current moment, but that pressure is going to build us, and we’re going to shine like a diamond when we need to.”
The post Justin Joly to help launch NC State tight ends onto national stage appeared first on On3 .
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