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Kanoah Vinesett hasn’t been part of a game-winning play, but he watched from the sideline as Brayden Narveson — on his second try — kicked one through the uprights at Virginia three years ago.
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That game, one that still gets discussed for Head Coach Dave Doeren’s postgame comments, reminded the Wolfpack why special teams matter.
Vinesett, who bears most of the place-kicking duties, says he’s ready to step up this weekend at Virginia the same way Narveson did in 2023. After training behind Narveson and Lou Groza award winner Christopher Dunn before that, Vinesett believes he’s ready for a major moment of his own.
“The coaches do a good job of putting me under that pressure, so whenever it is time for me to go, I’m ready,” Vinesett said on Wednesday. “It’s exciting knowing that that could happen. I’m always ready for it.”
Todd Goebbel, running backs coach and special teams coordinator, said the kickers are required to stay for the entirety of practice.
“We don’t just kick at the beginning and then say, ‘you’re done,’” Goebbel said.
Kickers spend three hours effectively replicating their gameday experience. They use the time to walk through their progressions, practice kicks from multiple distances and acclimate to the cadence of a game.
Then, at the end, they’re often called on to kick a game-winning field goal in a situational drill. It’s not far off what a normal Saturday looks like.
“I think he does a really good job, mind, body, and soul with our specialist,” Goebbel said. “The preparation, at the end of the day, for a kicker is 24/7, 365. You better be ready because you get one chance to go out there and help your team win, and that’s kind of a mindset we said early with them when they arrive on the campus, and something that we talk to them about daily.”
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Vineset took over a majority of kicking in 2024. That season, he went 18 for 24 on field goal attempts. Last year was different. Nick Konieczynski earned the starting role before Vinesett regained the position.
He called it a learning experience. Vinesett said he didn’t feel his best ahead of last season’s fall camp. His body wasn’t what it needed to be. The graduate student stepped back to focus on the physical aspect, prioritizing rehabilitation and getting regular deep tissue massages.
Vinesett reemerged later in the season. He made a career-high 48 PATs, on 49 attempts, and went 5 for 6 on field goal attempts. Duke’s Wesley Williams blocked his lone miss.
His usage dropped on field goals, but it dropped for the entire kicking team. N.C. State instead relied on backup quarterback Will Wilson in short-yardage situations.
Some players might be upset, but not him. At the end of the day, the graphics don’t say “Vinesett is victorious.” They say, “Wolfpack wins.”
In his appearance against the Cavaliers in 2025, Vinesett went for 5 for 5 on PATs. He did not make a field goal attempt. He’s not nervous to get out on the field again, but he is excited.
“I’m here for the team. Whatever the team needs, I give them,” he said. “When Will Wilson was going out there on fourth-and-2, instead of putting me out there, we went and got six points instead of three. Whatever the team needs, perfectly fine with. Every single drive, no matter what, I’m going through my routine, staying with it, sticking with it, and when my number gets called, I go out there.”
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This story was originally published August 26, 2026 at 5:57 PM.