NC State’s offense has a simple starting point this fall: CJ Bailey is back, and that changes everything.
The defense may be in rebuild mode, but the biggest offseason victory for Dave Doeren’s program came on the other side of the ball, where keeping Bailey in Raleigh was the clear prize. He enters year three as the team’s most important player, and the question isn’t whether he’s good. It’s whether he can become great.
That matters because the roster around him is thinner than it was a year ago. NC State has to replace its left tackle, starting running back, and top wide receiver, all of whom left through the portal. The staff invested to patch those holes, but there’s still plenty of uncertainty attached to a group that has to prove it can hold up at a higher level.
One of the biggest swing pieces is Jimarion McCrimon, whose jump from the AAC to the ACC has to go smoothly if Bailey is going to stay clean from his blind side. The line looks workable from one through five, but there isn’t much margin for error at either tackle spot. Spike Sowells moving to center full-time helps settle the middle, though both guard jobs are still up for grabs.
The run game is another area where Bailey may have to carry more of the load. Last season, Hollywood Smothers did a lot of the heavy lifting with his burst and slipperiness, and the numbers back that up: NC State ranked 94th in yards before contact on run plays, but finished seventh in missed tackle rate and ninth in yards after contact. Duke Scott brings a more straight-ahead style, which only adds to the concern that this ground game may not be all that much better.
That’s part of why Dave said at the ACC Kickoff that Bailey might run more this season. It makes sense.
The rushing attack was not exactly elite even with Smothers, and there’s not much reason to expect a huge leap in 2026. If Bailey can add something as a runner, that could matter a lot.
At receiver, NC State needs Keenan Jackson to take a step, but the staff also went shopping for more explosive options. Victor Snow, coming off a strong season at Buffalo, is the headliner there and should also handle punt returns.
The Wolfpack also brought in several players who produced big numbers at a lower level in smaller roles, including Davion Dozier, who caught 20 passes for 448 yards at App in 2025. That kind of profile comes with upside, but it also comes with obvious questions about polish.
Still, the room wasn’t exactly loaded last season. Outside of Anderson, there wasn’t much to get excited about, and replacing the production of Noah Rogers or Wesley Grimes does not look like an impossible task. There should be opportunities for somebody to claim that space.
Then there’s Teddy Hoffman, who was expected to be part of that push before a positive PED test knocked him out. That stings, because after what he just put on tape, he looked like a clear breakout candidate, unrelated to the steroids.
So yes, the picture around Bailey is imperfect. If NC State wanted the ideal setup for its quarterback, it probably would have cost about $5 million more.
That version of the offense doesn’t exist. The line has to be right.
The supporting cast has to be functional. But if Bailey is the player this program believes he is, he may be able to drag the whole thing forward anyway.
In Other News...
Another NC State Final Four Piece Is Building A Pro Career Overseas
Ben Middlebrooks is keeping his pro career moving overseas, signing with lan Barnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez for the 2026-27 season as the French club returns to Betclic LITE, the countrys top league. It is the latest step in a post-NC State path that has already taken him to Sweden and, more recently, to the 2026 NBA Summer League with the Houston Rockets.
For NC State fans, Middlebrooks is another familiar name from the 2024 run that carried the Wolfpack to the ACC Tournament and all the way to the Final Four. He spent two seasons in Raleigh and now joins a team trying to reestablish itself in Frances highest level, adding another chapter to a career that has been steadily building well beyond college basketball. [Read more 🡒]