RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Unlike his counterparts in Durham and Chapel Hill, NC State head football coach Dave Doeren has the advantage of a returning quarterback in CJ Bailey as well as his leading running back, Hollywood Smothers, from last season.
But guaranteed starters in key offensive positions doesn’t mean Wolfpack players haven’t been battling in training camp.
“We have really good competition right now, on both sides of the football,” Doeren said Wednesday.
The longtime head coach, now in his 13th season in Raleigh, said during the Atlantic Coast Conference’s 2025 Kickoff event last month that he was looking forward to this season with his “most coachable team” yet. That excitement seems to still be there as the Wolfpack get deeper into training camp.
“It’s been refreshing, because sometimes when you get to your twos and your threes, there’s a massive drop off, and we’re not seeing that,” said Doeren, referring to the players currently considered second and third strings on the depth chart. “We’re seeing guys know what they’re doing and they’re playing hard, they’re getting better, and so it’s been a fun training camp competitively.”
NC State opens the 2025 season at home against East Carolina on Aug. 28. It will be the second consecutive game the two in-state rivals have played, as the Wolfpack and Pirates faced off in the Military Bowl in Annapolis, Md. to end the 2024 season. ECU won that game 26-21.