Coming off a strong 9-4 season, N.C. State is looking to reload its offense. Their offense is coming off an up-and-down season that most notably included a starting quarterback change. Both quarterbacks that were involved have left N.C. State, with graduate Senior Brennan Armstrong out of eligibility and MJ Morris transferring to Maryland.
Head Coach Dave Doeren has made it clear that even with significant losses to the program, the future is shining bright. With the recent changes with NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) and much more lenient transfer portal rules, it is easier than ever to retool a program than rebuild it from scratch.
N.C. State is known for developing in-state talent such as Charlotte native, Ikem Ekwonu, who was a top-10 draft pick in 2022 (Carolina Panthers Starting Offensive Lineman). Other Wolfpack homegrown talent includes unanimous All-American Linebacker, Payton Wilson, and freshman phenom Kevin “KC” Concepcion.
Doeren has surrounded himself with a top-tier coaching staff along with these players. The one major downfall is losing coordinator talent for head coaching positions elsewhere. Most notably with Tim Beck, (Prev. OC) at the helm at Coastal Carolina, and Eli Drinkwitz (Prev. OC), who took jobs at App State and Missouri respectfully, leading Missouri to a top ten finish in this year’s rankings.
With the ease of transferring schools, it’s harder than ever to maintain a quality, contending football team. The Wolfpack has landed multiple commitments from N.C. natives. Former Millbrook superstar wide receiver Wesley Grimes originally committed to Wake Forest following his senior season, but has joined the Wolfpack with fellow NAC-6 stars. Former Rolesville and Ohio State wide receiver Noah Rogers and former Rolesville and Maryland defensive back Tamarcus Cooley joined N.C. State shortly after Grimes. In an article by PackInsider, Matthew Bradham stated “Back in 2021, Grimes chose the Demon Deacons over N.C. State, Tennessee, Duke, and Louisville. On December 8th, 2023, Grimes decided to come back home and run with the Pack.”
For the former Rolesville Rams stars, Ethan Mcdowell shared a tweet on January 4 of this year saying, “Tamarcus Cooley always used to say he and Noah Rogers would play together in college one way or another… It took a year apart, but they will take the field together at Carter-Finley Stadium this fall.”
The whole Wolfpack nation is excited to see how these homegrown stars will play this fall.
