NC State enters its season opener at Virginia with a new name ready to grab the spotlight: Duke Scott.
Scott’s profile is built for attention. He was No. 18 on Bruce Feldman’s 2026 Preseason Freaks List, and the numbers explain why.
The Wolfpack running back has been clocked at 4.35 in the 40-yard dash, has power cleaned 405 pounds, and has back squatted 575 pounds. At 5-foot-10 and 220 pounds, that’s a rare blend of burst and brute force.
He already proved he can handle meaningful work behind Hollywood Smothers last season. While backing up the 1st Team All-ACC back, Scott still piled up 581 rushing yards and four touchdowns, averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
Now the lane is open. Smothers is gone, and Scott is set to take over as NC State’s lead running back.
The program’s confidence in him is obvious. Head coach Dave Doeren gave Scott the No. 1 jersey this season, an honor reserved for one player each year. His teammates also voted him one of NC State’s five captains.
That kind of trust makes the next question pretty natural: can Scott be the guy who finally gets NC State back to a 1,000-yard rusher? The Wolfpack haven’t had one since Reggie Gallaspy in 2018, a drought that has now stretched seven seasons.
Scott has the ingredients to end it. He’s fast enough to get to the edge and powerful enough to run through contact, and he showed last year that he can produce even in a supporting role.
This is his chance to take over. And before he does, his 2025 highlight reel is worth a look.
In Other News...
Brian Nelson II Is Suddenly Central To NC States 2026 Defense
NC State heads into its 2026 football season at Virginia with a defense that already has a clear new face in the leadership mix. Brian Nelson II, the cornerback who transferred from North Texas, was named one of the Wolfpacks captains for the year, a notable step for a player who spent 2025 working mostly without the spotlight before earning a starting role late in the season.
Nelsons rise gives the secondary an important anchor heading into a road opener that will ask plenty from the Pack right away. He is projected to start in 2026, and his climb from non-starter to captain suggests NC State sees more than just steady play, but a player ready to help set the tone for a defense trying to establish itself early. [Read more 🡒]
NC States New Receiver Gives CJ Bailey A Huge Early Storyline
NC States 2026 depth chart offered an immediate hint at one of the more intriguing storylines around CJ Bailey, with Miami transfer wide receiver Jojo Trader listed as a starter. The move gives the Wolfpack another experienced target to build around, and it also adds a familiar face for Bailey, who has known Trader for years and has played alongside him since childhood and again in high school before the two were reunited in Raleigh.
Trader arrives with some college production already on the ledger after appearing in 11 games last season and catching 13 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown. For NC State, the pairing is about more than continuity at receiver. It gives Bailey a built-in chemistry piece entering the season, and the bigger question now is how quickly that old connection translates once the games start counting again. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Just Revived A Helmet Debate Fans Care About
NC State has already shown a willingness to tinker with its look this season, beginning 2025 in cursive NC State helmets before moving to the larger Tuffy wolf logo for the rest of the schedule and the Gasparilla Bowl. This fall, though, the helmet debate has circled back again, with the Wolfpack using a smaller version of the Tuffy logo and giving fans another reason to compare it with the more familiar design.
The change has been noticeable enough to spark the kind of social media conversation that always seems to follow a helmet tweak. Some fans like the cleaner look, others prefer the bolder version, and the split reaction says plenty about how much these details still matter in Raleigh. For a program with a distinctive identity, even a small logo change can feel bigger than it looks. [Read more 🡒]