CHARLOTTE – Entering his 13th season as NC State’s head coach, Dave Doeren didn’t shy away from what 2024 was, a disappointment. After
a 6-7 season that featured defensive breakdowns, chemistry issues, and a lost year for one of the program’s largest-ever transfer classes, Doeren made one
thing clear at the 2025 ACC Kickoff in Charlotte: his Wolfpack are “very humble and hungry” and ready to earn their way back into the ACC conversation.
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| NC State Head Coach Dave Doeren Photo Credit: ACC Media Services |
“This has probably been the most coachable team I’ve had in a long time,” Doeren said. “They’ve been very focused, a lot of fun to work with… days that they know they’ve needed to push this needle where it needs to go.”
The headlining reason for optimism is sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey, who was thrown into the starting job as a true freshman after Grayson McCall’s early-season injury. Bailey completed nearly 65% of his passes, threw for over 2,400 yards, and led a game-winning drive over rival North Carolina to clinch bowl eligibility. Now, for the first time in three years, Doeren has a returning starter at quarterback. That’s made a massive
difference.
“Your offseason as a head coach is tremendously different when you have an offseason with a starting quarterback,” Doeren said. “This
year he's leading those guys. He’s taking them out on the field and working on
routes. It’s a completely different place that he's in at 200 plus pounds
compared to the 170-ish that he was when he got here.”
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| NC State QB CJ Bailey Photo Credit: ACC Media Services |
Bailey, who has added 20 pounds since arriving on campus,
spoke confidently about the transition from wide-eyed freshman to leader of the
offense. “Last year I was just sitting back and letting Grayson do
his thing… there was a lot of things I wanted to do last year, but I didn’t
want to step on Grayson’s toes,” Bailey said. “Coming into this year it’s very
different… I was way more than what I was last year, and I think I got the
chance to experience being a starter of the team.”
Bailey credited McCall as a mentor and said his biggest
personal challenge has been becoming a more vocal leader. “At the end of last year, that’s what I was working
towards,” he said. “You’ll see some of those flashes in the spring ball that we
just had… I’m an energetic guy, and that’s what I bring to the table.”
The rapport between Bailey and tight end Justin Joly, NC
State’s leading receiver in 2024 with 661 yards, has blossomed both on and off
the field. When asked about Bailey, Joly lit up. “I remember when CJ first took the helm… I was like, hey,
fam, if you need someone to rely on and you need a reliability factor, you can
come to me,” Joly said. “Me and him, we were rooming together here at the
hotel, and we were just bickering, having fun, going back and forth because
that’s what brothers do.”
Joly is a matchup nightmare who averaged 15.4 yards per
catch last season, fourth among FBS tight ends, and his return for a second
year in Raleigh offers continuity in a position group that’s quietly become a
strength. He said the group’s versatility will be a defining trait under new
offensive coordinator Kurt Roper. “You never know if I’m in if it’s a run play or if Cody
[Hardy] is in if it’s a run play or pass play,” Joly said. “Having all
different statures when it comes to tight end helps the offense… we’ve just got
to take a guess.”
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| NC State TE Justin Joly Photo Credit: ACC Media Services |
Doeren echoed that theme, calling Roper “a guy that brings a
lot of energy” and “knows how to create cohesion.” After years of instability
at quarterback, Doeren believes the combination of Bailey’s poise and Roper’s
continuity can be a winning formula. “It’s not just having good players that matters, it’s having
good players that play together,” Doeren said.
The defense, long NC State’s backbone, unraveled last fall, especially
after linebacker Caden Fordham went down with a season-ending knee injury
midseason. Fordham led the team in tackles through six games and returns as a
centerpiece in new defensive coordinator DJ Eliot’s scheme. Fordham described
the past year as both humbling and transformative. “Anytime you’re taken away from the sport you love so much,
it’s difficult,” he said. “It was an eye-opening experience… a big step in my
leadership, learning how to talk to guys and show them things one-on-one
instead of being out there in front of the team.”
Fordham said he was recently cleared to return fully and
believes the new staff and returning veterans are committed to restoring the
Pack’s defensive identity. “Anytime we go out on the field as an NC State defense, we
expect to dominate. We expect to play physical and tough,” Fordham said. “Last
year, you’re right, it wasn’t up to the standard. But this year is a new year
and we’re going to come out and prove that we’re back.”
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| NC State LB Caden Fordham Photo Credit: ACC Media Services |
Doeren, himself a former defensive coordinator, took the
defensive drop-off personally. That’s part of why he brought in Eliot, who has
coordinated defenses at Kentucky, Colorado, and most recently the NFL’s
Philadelphia Eagles. “As a former defensive coordinator, pressure on the
quarterback is a great fix,” Doeren said. “The one thing about DJ Eliot’s
defenses over the years, everywhere he’s been, he’s improved their numbers in
tackles for loss and sacks.”
Eliot’s arrival coincides with a wave of new faces on the
defensive line, including Temple transfer Tra Thomas and Wyoming’s Sabastian
Harsh. The goal is to replace seven departed starters and improve NC State’s
third-down and red zone performance, two areas that collapsed in 2024.
The season begins with a storyline-rich matchup: a rematch
against East Carolina, the team that beat the Wolfpack in last year’s bowl
game. Bailey’s approach to the Week 1 showdown is simple. “It’s always exciting to get on that field for that first
time, and that game is going to be really fun,” Bailey said. “I can’t wait to
step out for the first time with my guys and see what we’re really made of.”
For Doeren, the offseason wasn’t just about personnel. It
was a reset, philosophically and strategically. After bringing in 15 transfers
last year and grappling with a lack of chemistry, the Pack were more selective
in the portal this cycle, focusing on cultural fit and need rather than star
power. “It’s not about just bringing in the best players, it’s
about bringing in the right players,” he said. “And this group has a big edge
to them.”
He pointed to players like linebacker Kenny Soares and
cornerback Brian Nelson as quiet additions who are already raising the practice
standard. He also highlighted internal promotions, including two former
players: Gavin Locklear now coaching tight ends and Isaiah Moore helping with
linebackers. “That's when you know you're getting older as a coach,”
Doeren quipped. “You get to recruit a young man, coach him, take him to
graduation, and now he’s coaching on your staff. Their blood is in the bricks.”
As for Joly, who was named a Walter Camp Preseason
All-American, the national recognition doesn’t seem to phase him. “Preseason they can have the top five tight ends. That
doesn't worry me,” Joly said. “At the end of the season is when I really want
to shine.”
That line could apply to all of NC State. “We have the same aspirations that we’ve had,” Doeren said.
“That’s to win every game that we play and to put ourselves in a position to be
in the conversation at the end of the year.”
And for a team that felt it left something behind last fall,
the mission is clear. “There’s still meat on the bone,” Doeren said. “Ten-plus
wins, winning the ACC, being in the playoffs… these are all things I think and
know we can do with the right players, right staff, and sometimes you’ve got to
have a few breaks.”
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