NC State arrives at ACC media days with a lot more to sort through than just the obvious headline names.
Yes, quarterback CJ Bailey, running back Duke Scott, defensive end Isaiah Shirley and head coach Dave Doeren will be the faces of the Wolfpack in Charlotte on Wednesday, with the ACC community beginning its trek to the city that morning and Commissioner Jim Phillips scheduled to speak before four teams take the stage. But the bigger story for NC State is what sits behind those leaders: a roster full of new pieces, unresolved roles and a few spots where the depth chart still feels wide open heading into the 2026 season.
One of the biggest questions is who actually steps forward around Bailey on offense. The quarterback is back, and Scott and wide receiver Keenan Jackson are the other returning primary backups, but the pack of proven options beyond that is thin.
Wideouts Joshisa Trader and Chance Robinson, plus tailback Davion Gause, all know Bailey from high school, yet they have little college production to lean on. Victor Snow and Davion Dozier arrived from the Group of 5 with productive résumés, but the real test is whether that production carries over right away in the ACC.
Tight end could be just as murky, even with transfers Vander Ploog and Hunter Provience joining Preston Douglas in a room that has talent but plenty of questions. By the time Wednesday is over, NC State should at least have a clearer sense of the pecking order before fall camp.
The defense brings its own set of unknowns, even after a busy offseason. Double-digit primary starters or key rotation players from last year are gone, including the entire starting defensive line.
Cian Sloan and Brandon Cleveland are in the NFL, Caden Fordham and Sean Brown graduated, Kenny Soares Jr. transferred out, and Devon Marshall, Jamel Johnson and the sparsely-used J.J. Johnson are also no longer there.
That kind of turnover would leave a lot of programs scrambling, but NC State added veteran help instead of standing still. Safety King Mack came over from Penn State, EDGE Harvey Dyson arrived from Tulane and linebacker Popo Aguirre joined from Miami.
The Wolfpack also expects more from Brian Nelson at corner, Josiah Victor at nose tackle and Tristan Teasdell at safety. Wednesday should offer a better read on how those veterans have helped the younger players grow and which new names are starting to separate themselves.
Chase Bond flashed last year, Colby Cronk has turned heads in spring camp and in the weight room, and there should be more clarity on how Brody Barnhardt and Sterling Dixon are coming along in their recoveries from injuries.
And then there’s Bailey himself, who is no longer the young quarterback trying to survive the chaos. His first season came after the injury to Grayson McCall and turned into a major bright spot.
Then came the breakout sophomore year: more than 3,100 passing yards, 31 total touchdowns, nine interceptions and a rise into the conversation as one of the ACC’s best quarterbacks, with NFL attention already following him toward the 2027 NFL Draft. The question now is what changed most this offseason.
Was it added muscle, sharper chemistry with a reshaped group of targets, or a bigger leap as a leader and command figure in the offense? Based on conversations with Kurt Roper and others behind the scenes, Bailey is operating mentally at a level he hasn’t reached yet in his first two seasons at NC State.
Media days should give a chance to hear that growth in his own words, after spring camp, summer workouts, Manning Camp and everything else that has shaped his offseason.
In Other News...
Former NC State Guard Just Hit A New Level Of NBA Recognition
The buzz around Quadir Copeland has kept building since his strong Summer League debut, and now the former NC State guard is getting another sign that he is starting to register at the NBA level. The Houston Rockets recently shared an Instagram reel of Copeland going through the official face-scan process, a small but meaningful step that helps players show up more accurately in the leagues next video game release.
For a player on a two-way contract, those little markers can matter as much as the box score. Copelands 14-point, 7-rebound showing in Summer League already put him on the radar, and the latest spotlight suggests the Rockets see him as more than just a camp body. What comes next will be about turning that early attention into a steadier role. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Just Backed Up What Wolfpack Fans Have Been Saying
The recruiting rankings have not always matched what NC State has done on Saturdays, and that disconnect has become a familiar talking point around the program. Since 2021, the Wolfpack have won more games than any other FBS team in North Carolina, a run that has given Dave Doerens program a strong case as the states most consistently successful team even when the class rankings do not always reflect it.
North Carolina and Duke have often landed the higher-rated recruiting hauls, which has only sharpened the contrast between perception and production. For Wolfpack fans, the bigger point has been the same for a while now: NC State has built its edge through development, roster retention and finding players who grow into major contributors, and that formula is still the one worth watching as the next recruiting cycle takes shape. [Read more 🡒]