North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack in the Super Bowl
2/5/2026 12:20:00 PM | Football
NC State Football has had a frequent presence in the Super Bowl over the years as Wolfpack alums have played, coached, and even officiated in the big game. Super Bowl LX will be no different, as three former players will play on the game's biggest stage.
This week's game in Santa Clara, California, between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots marks the 13th straight year that at least one NC State player has been featured in "The Big Game." Drake Thomas (2019-22) starts at linebacker for the Seahawks, while Garrett Bradbury (2015-18) is the starting center for the New England Patriots. Defensive end Cory Durden (2021-22) also sees frequent action for New England.
Despite earning All-ACC honors during his college career, Thomas went undrafted to the Raiders in 2023 and was released during the preseason. The Seahawks quickly took advantage, claiming the linebacker off waivers the next day. Thomas contributed mainly as a special teamer before earning the opportunity to be slotted into a starting spot for this season's week-four game against the Cardinals. He never looked back.
"The undrafted label lifted off me once they claimed me. It felt like there was a real plan for me, and they really believed in me," he said, also expressing how appreciative he was for the opportunity to "carve out a role on defense."
Thomas has made the most of his opportunities this season, tallying 108 tackles – second most on the team – to go along with 3.5 sacks, 11 TFLs, 8 passes defended, and an interception.
Thomas has matched up against Patriots' starting quarterback Drake Maye once before in a collegiate matchup versus UNC, where the Pack won in a double-overtime thriller in Chapel Hill – Thomas sacked Maye and had three quarterback hurries in the contest.
When asked about the opportunity to face Maye again, he said, "It's going to be really fun. He's a really good player. I know the NC State fans are really looking forward to it. I'm excited for the challenge."
Bradbury, although a North Carolina native like Thomas, has taken a very different path in the NFL. Recruited to the Wolfpack as a tight end, he "lifted and ate his way into being a lineman" once he got on campus, according to head coach Dave Doeren.
The Patriots' center started his final two seasons in Raleigh, winning the Rimington Trophy – given annually to the nation's most outstanding center – after a 2018 season in which he did not allow a single quarterback pressure. He was then selected in the first round of the draft by the Minnesota Vikings and started each of his six seasons with the team.
In his first season with New England, Bradbury has recorded zero sacks allowed without a single penalty across all 1,070 of his offensive snaps, according to PFF. After serving as Sam Darnold's center last year in Minnesota, the Patriots' anchor will now protect a fellow Charlotte native in Maye while opposing Darnold on Sunday.
"There's going to be several run plays where Garrett is blocking Drake," Doeren added, excited for Sunday's matchup between his former players.
Durden's path to the Super Bowl has been a winding one, as he bounced around the league a bit after going undrafted in 2023 before finding a home in New England as a rotational piece in his first year on their defensive line, playing in every game this season.
The FSU transfer played his final two seasons with the Pack, earning third-team All-ACC honors before turning pro. The Florida native appeared in only eight games across three different organizations during his first two seasons before being picked up by Mike Vrabel and the Patriots just seven days after playing against them as a New York Giant in the team's final preseason game.
"He gave me an opportunity. I feel like it was the opportunity of a lifetime," he said of Coach Vrabel. "They gave me a chance to show myself, gave me all kinds of opportunities throughout this season, with how many times I played, and just the impact that he has on me personally."
"To have representation 13 years in a row—that's awesome. I can't even put into words how that makes me feel. I'm super excited and proud of those guys," Doeren said. "That's why we do what we do at this level, to try to help these guys reach their dreams, and that is the ultimate dream. I'm really looking forward to seeing those guys play against each other and knowing that I had a part in it means a lot."
Wolfpack alumni are no strangers to Super Bowl success. Current Chicago Bears guard Joe Thuney (2012-15) has appeared in six Super Bowls – winning four (LI, LIII, LVII, LVIII) – over the course of his 10-year career. He is the first player in NFL history to start in three Super Bowls in their first three seasons in the league.
Selected by the Patriots in the third round of the 2016 draft, Thuney blocked in front of Tom Brady for three Super Bowl trips – winning two – before joining Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs to do the same.
Thuney is coming off his third straight AP First-Team All-Pro selection in as many years.
The only other Pack alumnus to play in four Super Bowls is College Football Hall of Fame inductee Jim Ritcher (1976-79), who helped the Buffalo Bills reach an unprecedented four straight Super Bowls in the early 1990s – infamously falling short in each. Like Thuney, Ritcher was a three-time NFL All-Pro.
Bill Cowher (1975-78), the only NC State alumnus to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, won Super Bowl XL as the Steelers' head coach in 2006. He played linebacker for the Wolfpack and holds the record for tackles in a season with 195 stops in 1978.
David Merritt (1989-92), another NC State linebacker-turned-NFL coach, is the defensive backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs and has won five Super Bowl rings over 25 seasons in the pros. He won two Super Bowls with the Giants – upsetting the Patriots in 2007 and 2011 – and added three more as a member of the Chiefs coaching staff in 2010, 2022, and 2023.
In 2020, former Wolfpack defensive back Barry Anderson (1986-89), a veteran NFL official, served as umpire in Super Bowl LIV in Miami.
