NC State heads into fall camp with plenty of familiar pieces back, but the biggest pressure point on the roster is still obvious: the Wolfpack need more heat off the edge. That’s a big reason Harvey Dyson shows up at No. 7 on Pack Power 247’s list of the 20 most important players for 2025.
The Pack finished 8-5 last season and capped it with a convincing bowl win over Memphis, but the defense has to replace its front six. That makes portal additions like Dyson even more important, especially with key returners in the secondary such as Jackson Vick and Brian Nelson II helping stabilize the back end. NC State also brought in Tulane transfer linebacker Popo Aguirre, Penn State safety King Mack and left tackle Jimarion McCrimon, while quarterback CJ Bailey, right tackle Teague Andersen, center Spike Sowells Jr. and running back Duke Scott are back on offense.
Dyson arrives with a track record that says he can disrupt games. A 2022 recruit out of Cedar Hill, Texas, he posted 37 tackles, seven tackles for loss, one pass breakup, a fumble recovery and two blocked punts in high school. He was a three-star prospect (83) and chose Texas Tech over more than 10 other offers, including Arizona, Kansas State and SMU.
His college path took a few turns before landing in Raleigh. Dyson redshirted in 2022 at Texas Tech, then played in 16 games over the next two seasons and finished that stretch with 16 tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks. In 2024, he appeared in eight games and logged 12 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, two pass breakups, five quarterback hurries, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.
Then came the breakout at Tulane. In his lone season with the Green Wave, Dyson put up 36 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and an American Athletic Conference-best eight sacks.
The 6-foot-2, 248-pound edge rusher also forced two fumbles and broke up a pass, earning All-AAC Third Team honors. He even showed up in the biggest spot, collecting one sack and one forced fumble in Tulane’s first-round College Football Playoff matchup against Ole Miss.
The advanced numbers backed up the production. Pro Football Focus gave Dyson a 90.4 pass-rushing grade, which ranked 15th in college football among players with at least 200 pass-rushing snaps. He was also graded as the No. 7 overall EDGE in the AAC.
Dyson entered the transfer portal again in December of last year, then committed to NC State in January 2026 and enrolled shortly after. The Wolfpack had plenty of competition for him, but he wound up becoming one of their biggest portal pickups.
That matters because NC State’s pass rush was a problem last season. The Wolfpack finished with only 20 sacks, which ranked 109th in the FBS and next-to-last in the ACC. Dyson was targeted quickly once the portal opened, and the expectation is straightforward: he needs to help change that number.
There’s confidence he can do it. The step up in competition is real, but Dyson should be able to get after the quarterback right away.
The bigger question is how he holds up against the run against Power Four opponents on a weekly basis. That’s the part NC State will need to see before it can count on him every Saturday.
In Other News...
CJ Bailey Just Got The National Respect Wolfpack Fans Wanted
CJ Bailey has been building his reputation the old-fashioned way, with steady production as NC States starting quarterback and enough poise to get noticed beyond Raleigh. The buzz around him has been growing inside the ACC, but the latest sign of his rise came from a familiar name with plenty of weight in football circles.
Cam Newton, the former NFL MVP and Heisman Trophy winner, recently included Bailey among his top quarterbacks for the 2026 college season, giving the Wolfpack signal-caller a national nod that matches the momentum he has already created. For NC State fans, it is the kind of recognition that suggests Bailey is no longer just an emerging conference name, but a player starting to enter the broader conversation. [Read more 🡒]
NC States Rebuilt Defense Has One Standout Fans Need To See
NC States defense is getting a fresh look in 2026, but it is not being built from scratch. The Wolfpack brought back a core of experienced players and then layered in transfer help, with Pro Football Focus sorting through the returning and incoming pieces to show where the unit already has a base. In the secondary, Asaad Brown Jr. and Brian Nelson II give the staff some continuity, while Joseph Adedire stands out among the holdovers up front.
The bigger question is how quickly the new faces can turn that mix into a real strength, especially after the staff went into the portal to reshape the linebacker room. Harvey Dyson, Popo Aguirre and DaKarri Nelson all arrive with a chance to change the tone of that group, and the most intriguing newcomer in the entire defense is a safety transfer who could end up being the player fans notice first when the season opens. [Read more 🡒]