Justin Joly Named Tight End of the Week by John Mackey Award
10/28/2025 3:40:00 PM | Football
New York, NY — After pulling in six receptions for a career-best 101 yards and two touchdowns against Pitt, NC State tight end Justin Joly has been named Tight End of the Week. This weekly award is presented for the best performance by a tight end in all of college football.
Joly is the Wolfpack's leading receiver in 2025, with 36 receptions for 365 yards. Last week at Pitt, he posted the first 100-yard game of his career. One of those catches was a 59-yard touchdown grab where Joly pulled up with an injury at the 25-yard line and, by force of will, made his way to the endzone for the score. He scored 12 of the Wolfpack's 34 points in the contest (he also scored 12 of the Pack's 34 points in the win at Wake Forest earlier this season).
His 36 receptions rank second among P4 tight ends. After just 21 games in Wolfpack uniform, Joly's 79 career receptions rank fifth all-time for an NC State tight end, while his 1026 receiving yards is also the fourth-best career mark for a player at his position. He has nine touchdown receptions for the Wolfpack (plus four at UConn).
Joly was named to the preseason watch list for the Biletnikoff and Mackey Awards before the season began.
The weekly honor was started in 2004 to highlight individual tight end play during the regular season. The John Mackey Tight End of the Week honor will run until the announcement of the eight semifinalists. The recipient of the 2025 John Mackey Award will be presented at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN. The John Mackey Award was established in 2000 by the Nassau County Sports Commission and is presented annually to the tight end who performs at the highest level on and off the field. The John Mackey Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which presents the most prestigious awards in college football, dating back to 1935.
