Everything starts up front, and if NC State’s offense is going to take a step forward and lead the way to a season of exceeded expectations, then the offensive line needs to make strides. The Pack will be relying on a mix of young talent and transfers to make that happen after losing a trio of veteran starters to graduation.
Anthony Belton’s 2024 season helped him land in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and Correll’s extensive experience in the middle was crucial. Correll’s departure leads us to perhaps the biggest question mark on the offensive line heading into the season.
Making sure Jacarrius Peak stayed in the fold was critical to this offseason, and he’ll slide from right tackle to the left side this year. He’ll be the team’s best offensive lineman. Anthony Carter has had his ups and downs at guard but almost certainly will slot in as a starter again.
At center, NC State could have a true freshman starter in Week 1—pretty unusual (and inevitably worrisome, what with the youth and such), but Spike Sowells might just be that good. Critically, Sowells was an early enrollee, giving him all spring to adjust to the college game.
NC State also brought in a couple of transfers who could potentially play center—Jalen Grant (Purdue) and Brock Stukes (NC A&T). Grant has a big edge on both Stukes and Sowells in terms of experience, but hasn’t spent a much time at center since his freshman season in 2021. He’s also coming off a year in which he saw his playing time at guard disappear.
Stukes has experience at guard and center as well, though his transition up a level may take time. Rylan Vann made a couple of cameos at center in 2024 and is probably a depth piece this season.
If Sowells works out at center, then NC State has more options to fill the guard spot opposite Carter, which is the preferable outcome I think. In addition to Grant and Stukes, Val Erickson will be competing for time—he also started the bowl game at right tackle, and could play a backup role there.
Kamen Smith was the starter at right guard in the bowl game, which accounted for about 75% of the snaps he got as a redshirt freshman. He’s listed as a tackle on the current roster, though. Matt McCabe has moved back to guard after the experiment with him as a blocking tight end didn’t work out, but probably won’t be a factor for playing time.
At right tackle, Utah State transfer Teague Andersen is likely to be the guy from day one. He has 17 career starts at the position and logged about 800 snaps there in 2024, and there isn’t any obvious competition for him here. NC State needs him to be good, and stay healthy.
Continuity is always important and NC State was fortunate last season to avoid any major injuries up front. The Wolfpack had the same starting five in 11 of 12 regular season games and a repeat of that would be quite helpful. And probably more important this year than it was in 2024.