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The job posting appeared on the Indeed website, something about an assistant athletic director position. Drew Lovelace submitted his resume and application.
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He can’t remember if the hiring manager responded.
Lovelace, who played four years on the N.C. State soccer team, had started looking for “adult” jobs, he said on Tuesday. Then Dave Doeren and the Wolfpack football team came calling.
Lovelace, a fifth-year kicker, joined the team a little over two weeks ago after an injury sidelined starter Nick Konieczynski. Lovelace had never put on a helmet and wore his pads backwards a couple of times.
But one would never know when he kicked off the Wolfpack’s home opener against Richmond Friday night. With the kick, Lovelace found the end zone for a touchback like a seasoned pro.
In some ways, he is.
Lovelace played four seasons on the men’s soccer team and appeared in the 2026 season opener. His eligibility disappeared a day later when the U.S. Tenth Circuit court granted the NCAA’s request for a stay in the Wisne v. NCAA case. An injunction allowed athletes from the Class of 2022 a fifth year of eligibility.
“It’s been very exciting and a unique opportunity, especially when two weeks ago you wouldn’t even think that this was a possibility,” Lovelace said. “Then, out of nowhere, you’re playing in Carter-Finley in front of a sold out stadium. That’s kind of how I see it — just enjoying every day that I get this opportunity.”
Roster management sometimes calls for creative solutions.
N.C. State typically has at least one kicker for field goals and PATs, another for kickoff duties and a punter. It tries to recruit backups or multidisciplinary players, but new roster sizes limit depth.
This year, N.C. State has had two place kickers and two punters.
The Wolfpack faced a major issue when Konieczynski suffered an injury in Week 0. He was supposed to handle most, if not all, kickoffs. Kanoah Vinesett, the Pack’s field goal kicker, has the experience to step into the role, but the staff didn’t want to risk overworking his body by adding that to his field goal and PAT responsibilities.
That’s where Lovelace came in.
Doeren asked the university compliance office if any soccer players were available to try out. Lovelace was an easy choice. He’s not Konieczynski — and the team should get the junior back — but Lovelace played in big games, needed a spot and, frankly, knows what he’s doing.
“Growing up playing high-level soccer, he’s kicked his whole life. He knows how to kick a ball,” said Zach Roper, special teams analyst. “We just changed it from a round ball to an oblong-shaped ball. We tried to keep it as simple and as natural for him as we could, and he did a great job.”
The NCAA introduced the “5-for-5” rule this summer, creating an age-based eligibility timeline that is expected to reduce waiver requests and football redshirt rule abuse, while creating stability. Legal battles surrounding the implementation muddied the waters.
Colorado Federal Judge Charlotte Sweeney approved theWisne v. NCAA injunction that briefly opened the door for players like Lovelace. This did not add any time to the athletes’ clock, because they fell into the rule’s age-based framework.
Lovelace re-enrolled at N.C. State following the decision and played on Aug. 20 during the soccer team’s opener against Coastal Carolina. The stay was approved a day later. Players uninvolved in separate lawsuits were not eligible for a fifth season if they previously played four seasons.
“It was definitely frustrating, especially going through preseason with the team, and then playing in that first game,” Lovelace said. “I kind of thought I was over the hump; I was going to be eligible for the season.”
N.C. State’s compliance office said Lovelace, who stayed in school after the court ruling, remains within his five-year competitive clock. While he’d exhausted his men’s soccer eligibility, but was free to join another team.
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Wolfpack men’s soccer coach Marc Hubbard is happy Lovelace could take advantage of 5-for-5, even if it’s on another team.
“It’s always good when we can help out the Pack,” Hubbard said Tuesday night. “That’s who we are. … Proud of him, and we’ll continue to watch him and hope he improves and makes his mark there.”
N.C. State won the coin toss and elected to defer. Deep breath. Lovelace had about 30 seconds before he made the football season’s first play at Carter-Finley Stadium. No big deal.
Lovelace called the moment “surreal.” Everything happened quickly, and not just the kickoff itself. How did he go from being ruled ineligible one day and opening the Wolfpack’s football game 21 days later?
Vinesett, the Pack’s field goal kicker, knows what it’s like to transition from soccer to football and wants nothing more than for his new teammate to succeed. He said, because soccer balls and footballs are shaped differently, the contact point “sweet spot” is much smaller. Vinesett said the ideal location for kicking a football is roughly the size of a dime.
Lovelace credited the kickers for supporting him during the transition, calling his teammates “crucial” in getting to this point. They inspire Lovelace to improve, reminding him it’s only been two weeks.
It means a lot, Vinesett said, that he can guide Lovelace.
“In my previous interviews, I said, I’ll do anything to help the team,” Vinesett said. “If that’s giving back to someone else so that he can help the team, I will do anything I can.”
N.C. State led Richmond by a large margin on Friday night. Doeren walked over to Lovelace on the sideline.
“This is fun, isn’t it?” Doeren asked Lovelace.
With a smirk on his face, Lovelace responded, “Yeah, I’m kind of hoping to tackle somebody.”
“I kind of hope you don’t,” Doeren told Lovelace, laughing as he recalled the interaction.
The kicker confirmed he hasn’t practiced tackling. He’d slide tackle, and it would only happen once. But he wants to say he did it.
That’s what this endeavor has been anyway — a rare experience. One where he’s kicking in Wolfpack soccer, not football, cleats and performing the first home kickoff of 2026. At this point, who’s to say Lovelace won’t add a tackle to his stat line when Konieczynski returns?
“It’s been very exciting and a unique opportunity, especially when two weeks ago you wouldn’t even think that this was a possibility,” Lovelace said. “Then, out of nowhere, you know you’re playing in Carter-Finley in front of a sold out stadium. That’s kind of how I see it; just enjoying every day that I get this opportunity.”
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