NCSU safety to be released from hospital after hit

Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior WriterAug 31, 2023, 10:45 PM ET
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- College football reporter.
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008.
- Graduate of Northwestern University.

NC State safety Rakeim Ashford will be released Friday from a Connecticut hospital after an overnight stay and will travel home, the university said.

Ashford was taken to Hartford Hospital for evaluation after absorbing a late hit during Thursday night’s season opener against UConn. NC State on Friday said testing was “normal.”

Ashford had sensation and movement in his extremities after the hit, and coach Dave Doeren said after the game that initial tests from the hospital were “positive” and that Ashford would stay overnight “to make sure.”

Ashford, a fifth-year player from Ackerman, Mississippi, left the field on a stretcher during the third quarter. His head hit the turf after a late hit from UConn’s Isiah Davis during a kickoff return. Ashford was not looking as Davis shoved him from the side.

Davis received a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty for the hit.

Ashford gave a thumbs-up as he was carted off the field after a long delay. Players and coaches from both teams gathered as medical personnel attended to Ashford.

A transfer from Jones College in Mississippi, Ashford is in his fourth season at NC State and has played mostly as a reserve and on special teams. He missed most of the 2020 season because of an injury after moving into a starting role.