NC State is heading to Nashville with a slightly adjusted look on its Week 3 depth chart, and the changes were small but notable before Saturday afternoon’s matchup with Vanderbilt.
The Wolfpack, still chasing its first road win and first road win over a Power Four opponent, unveiled the updated chart hours before kickoff. The biggest tweak came at WILL linebacker, where Bailey Benson remains the starter but is now listed as an OR with Da'Kaari Nelson. Another change showed up in the kick return game, with Jonathan Paylor added as a backup kick returner.
There was also movement at nose guard. Josiah Victor stays at the top of the spot, but KaTron Evans and Omarian Abraham no longer have "OR"s next to their names.
Here’s how NC State’s projected depth chart stacks up against the Commodores.
On offense, CJ Bailey is still the listed starter at quarterback, with Will Wilson behind him. The line features Jimarion McCrimon at left tackle, Yousef Mugharbil at left guard, Spike Sowells Jr. at center, Kamen Smith at right guard and Teague Andersen at right tackle. Brody Smith, Rico Jackson, Daniel Cruz, Kage Payne, Trent Mitchell and TK Whitset are listed behind them across the front.
At tight end, Hunter Provience sits at the top of the chart, with Preston Douglas and Vander Ploog following.
The receiving group is led by JoJo Trader, Victor Snow and Keenan Jackson. Davion Dozier and Tyran Warren are behind Trader, while Ashton Locklear and Je'rel Bolder are listed behind Snow. Chance Robinson backs up Jackson.
In the backfield, Duke Scott remains the top running back, with Davion Gause behind him.
Defensively, Joseph Adedire and Chase Bond headline the edge at defensive end. Josiah Victor anchors nose guard with Evans and Abraham behind him, while Isaiah Shirley and AJ Prim are listed at defensive tackle. Harvey Dyson III leads at JACK, with Ke'Von Carter and Sterling Dixon in the mix there as well.
Popo Aguirre is still the middle linebacker, backed by Lacorian Hodge and Jordan Moreta. Benson and Nelson share the top spot at WILL, with Ziggy Moore also listed there. Jackson Vick is at nickel, with Ty White and Chino Aguirre behind him.
The secondary shows Jaren Sensabaugh at left cornerback with Caden Gordon behind him, King Mack at strong safety with Tristan Teasdell backing him up, Ronnie Royal III at free safety with Brody Barnhardt and Asaad Brown Jr. listed there too, and Brian Nelson II at right cornerback with Michael Tate behind him.
Special teams remain mostly steady. Kanoah Vinesett is the kicker, Jackson Waller is the punter and also listed at holder, and Nick Konieczynski is on kickoff duty with Drew Lovelace also listed there. Aiden Arias remains the long snapper, Victor Snow is the punt returner, and King Mack is still listed as a kick returner alongside Jonathan Paylor.
In Other News...
NC State Fans Have Every Reason To Debate This Offensive Split
NC States offensive snap counts from the Vanderbilt game offered a clear look at how the staff leaned on certain pieces while trying to find the right balance across the unit. Center Teague Andersen and left guard Yousef Mugharbil were on the field for every one of the 80 offensive snaps, a sign of how much stability the Wolfpack wanted up front, while tight ends Preston Douglas and Hunter Provience both logged career-high workloads as the offense spread the ball around.
The production behind those usage numbers gives the split even more to talk about. Douglas reached career highs in receptions and receiving yards, Keenan Jackson posted career-best marks in catches and touchdowns, and Davion Gause made his touches count in the run game. For a team still sorting out how best to distribute snaps and chances, Vanderbilt left NC State with enough promising signs to keep the conversation going. [Read more 🡒]
NC States Next Three Games Will Say A Lot About This Team
After the loss in Nashville, NC State heads into a stretch that should tell a lot about where this team really stands. Appalachian State comes in unbeaten but with some penalty issues of its own, Louisville is fresh off a high-scoring win over SMU, and Wake Forest has already shown it can make life difficult for itself with a sloppy showing against Miami.
For the Wolfpack, this is the kind of three-game run that can either steady a season or expose where the holes are. Each opponent brings a different kind of challenge, and NC States past results against them only add to the intrigue as the Wolfpack tries to get back on track and navigate a revealing part of the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Just Added Another Weapon In The Facility Arms Race
NC State has pushed further into the modern college football arms race with a renovation inside the Murphy Center that turned the third-floor dining hall into a world-class fueling center. Completed in 2026, the project modernized the kitchen and dining spaces with an eye toward student-athlete health, recovery and performance, giving the program another upgraded corner of its football operation.
Now the focus shifts from the renovation itself to how the school plans to monetize it. NC State is seeking board approval to sell naming rights to the refreshed space for $2 million, with the money earmarked for the Carter-Finley Capital Fund, a move that shows how facility upgrades and fundraising increasingly go hand in hand in Raleigh. [Read more 🡒]