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Mirrors can tell someone a lot.
When now-N.C. State offensive lineman Yousef Mugharbil looked at his body in 2021, he saw injuries and brokenness. He was more than banged up.
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A few weeks into his freshman year at Florida, Mugharbil collided with a semi-truck while on a motorized scooter and dragged roughly 100 feet weeks. He was traveling straight and hit the big rig as it turned right. The accident occurred days before the Gators’ season opener.
None of his injuries were life-threatening, but moments in his recovery made Mugharbil, from Murphy, North Carolina, wonder if he’d lost his chance to play college football.
“I was really shaken up, and I had an understanding of how bad shape I was in just by looking at myself,” Mugharbil said during fall camp. “Football was one of the first things that came to mind; how I might not have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity anymore.”
Except the mirror, and Mugharbil’s own eyes, were deceptive. He saw scrapes and blood, but nothing reflected his desperation to play again.
“When I was in the hospital, and I was understanding that I would be able to make a full recovery,” Mugharbil said, “I was very motivated to come back from such a tragic accident and make the most of my opportunity.”
N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren often sees a unique sense of gratitude from players who come from lower-level programs, those who have returned from injury and walk-ons.
Mugharbil fits two of three categories, in addition to the winding journey of his football career.
Doeren heavily recruited Mugharbil, a four-star recruit, in high school. He was the highest-rated offensive lineman in the state. The Triangle’s three ACC schools wanted him. Appalachian State, East Carolina, Penn State, Tennessee and South Carolina were among his other suitors. He ended up at Florida under now-UNLV head coach Dan Mullen and stayed there for two seasons.
After the Gators fired Mullen in 2022, the offensive lineman transferred and found himself in a completely different scene: The Rocky Mountain foothills.
Colorado and Deion Sanders nabbed Mugharbil out of the portal, but his side quest — can it really be considered a stop? — didn’t last long. Mugharbil committed to the Buffs in January 2023 before re-entering the portal in April 2023. He was one of several players to leave shortly after Sanders’ arrival.
Doeren’s prior recruiting efforts finally paid off. Mugharbil returned to N.C. State later that summer. He wanted to come home.
NCAA rules prohibited Mugharbil’s participation in 2023, because he transferred twice in the same year, so he started as a walk-on. Mugharbil later earned a scholarship, what he called a “dream come true,” and a backup spot on the O-line.
He’s still six hours from Murphy — it’s located in the southwest part of the state, closer to Chattanooga and Knoxville — but the Wolfpack feels like his home away from home.
“It’s honestly how it should be,” Mugharbil said. “The team really feels like a family. I know whenever you get to this level, with NIL and everything going on, things can feel too much like a business. It’s always going to be a business, but here, it really makes you feel like you’re part of a family, and you’re just playing ball together — like the good ‘ol days.”
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Mugharbil didn’t put on a football helmet until high school. He played soccer until he was 13 years old, despite almost everyone in his life wanting him to play football.
“My mom was really careful with me being the youngest,” Mugharbil said. “Eventually my brothers played in high school, and I knew that I really wanted to play before I lost the opportunity and graduated.”
She finally relented. Mugharbil played offensive and defensive line — the team needed him on both sides of the ball — and set himself up for what has turned into a starting job on the Wolfpack’s offensive line.
“I love Yousef. He’s such a good kid. Seeing him develop from a walk-on to now being a starter has been tremendous,” N.C. State offensive lineman Teague Andersen said. “He’s one of my best friends, too. We go golfing all the time together and different things like that. Being able to talk to him and develop such a good relationship that we have has been special. And, seeing him succeed is a really good thing.”
The Murphy native earned his first start in 2025 against Virginia. After the win, Doeren called the lineman’s college career “one for the books.” He reiterated the sentiment on Monday evening, praising Mugharbil’s contributions.
Mugharbil progressed from his performances last year — the proof is on Pro Football Focus — and made himself an asset, stepping into a larger role this fall. He found a place to call his own and created a career he can take pride in.
PFF says the graduate student has played 269 snaps this season, surpassing last fall’s participation numbers by more than 150 snaps.
He ranks third on the offense this fall for overall pass blocking efficiency (77.9), according to PFF. During the team’s win over Appalachian State, he led the team with a career-best 87.9 pass blocking score. The graduate student’s overall grade from Saturday was a season-low, impacted by a pair of penalties, but Mugharbil’s athletic performance played a major role in the offensive success. N.C. State recorded 459 yards of total offense, 206 rushing yards and gave up one sack.
Mugharbil now has two games with pass blocking grades above 80 and is on pace to set new personal bests this season.
“He is playing elite football,” Doeren said on Monday. “He’s very physical. He’s having fun. … To get him back here and now see him thriving — It’s just a great story, a feel-good story, a comeback story, whatever you want to call it. I’m proud to him. I’m happy for him. He’s an inspiration to guys down there, and he genuinely takes complete advantage of all the reps he gets.”
Murgharbil doesn’t actively think of the crash anymore and can proudly say he overcame the physical bumps and bruises. Any new ones he acquires come from the game he loves. They’re proof of his effort instead of his pain.
And when things get difficult on the field, he knows those are only a small challenges.
“I guess in the back of my mind, I know that I’ve been through something way tougher for myself and my family,” Mugharbil said. “I can make it through everything.”
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