5 key position battles to watch heading into NC State’s fall camp practices, intel on each

By Noah Fleischman

NC State’s players reported for fall camp Monday and the Wolfpack’s first practice is set for Wednesday morning to begin the 2025 campaign. 

With the start of a new camp schedule comes competition all over the practice field. After the 6-7 showing last season, the Pack has plenty of players pushing to increase their roles for the upcoming year.

Here’s a look at five position battles to keep an eye on during NC State’s fall camp, with intel on each.

Wide receiver

This is an interesting position group. NC State feels great about the depth it has at wide receiver since it didn’t bring in any transfers at the position, despite losing outside receiver Dacari Collins to the spring transfer portal (Louisville). So, what’s up for grabs, exactly? Slot receiver.

The expectation is senior wideout Wesley Grimes (and his 4.24 40-yard dash time) and redshirt sophomore Noah Rogers will be the go-to outside receivers. That leaves a battle for the inside, which is likely to feature sophomore Terrell Anderson, and true freshmen Teddy Hoffmann and Je’rel Bolder as the leading trio going into camp. If anyone has the edge, at the moment, it’s Anderson.

Others may emerge, but look for sophomore Keenan Jackson to push for a bigger role at outside receiver as well. The wide receiver room is deep, and NC State has plenty of options that will be battling one another on the practice field over the next month.

Offensive line

Graduation took a toll on NC State’s offensive line, opening three starting spots along the right side of the front this fall. The Wolfpack hit the transfer portal to bring in quality depth , which is expected to make fall camp a very competitive month’s worth of practice to push every player in the room. 

The left side of the line seems pretty set: tackle Jacarrius Peak and guard Anthony Carter Jr. The other three spots on the front, however, are up for grabs with multiple players vying for each position. 

At center, it’s down to Purdue transfer Jalen Grant and true freshman Spike Sowells going into camp. At right guard, redshirt sophomore Kamen Smith and redshirt junior Val Erickson are dueling, but it seems like Smith has a leg up headed into camp. Right tackle, meanwhile, is a competition between Utah State transfer Teague Andersen and redshirt freshman Trent Mitchell. 

Grant appears to be slightly ahead with his five years of college experience, but Sowells is likely to make this a tough decision for the coaching staff. Andersen, currently, projects to win the right tackle job, while Mitchell will be the top backup at both tackle spots going into camp.

Backup nose tackle

Looking for a battle that features a veteran against a pair of young up-and-coming players? This is the one for you. Senior Brandon Cleveland is the returing starter — and that’s not going to change as long as he gets through fall camp healthy — but there’s a trio of players pushing behind him for time in the rotation.

Former Colorado and Old Dominion transfer Chazz Wallace is the veteran of the group looking to win the top reserve role with redshirt freshman Justin Terrell and true freshman Josiah Victor right on his heels. 

Wallace is coming off a redshirt season to get his body right for his final year of eligibility, while Terrell was with the developmental squad last season. Victor, meanwhile, is a touted defensive tackle who impressed in the weight room. In all honesty, it seems like Victor is the leader of the three going into fall camp. 

This is a competition to watch going through fall camp to see if Terrell and Wallace can close the gap or overtake Victor.

Cornerback

After NC State lost Aydan White due to graduation and Brandon Cisse to the transfer portal (South Carolina), the Wolfpack has a pair of starting cornerback spots available for the taking this fall. 

Let’s break this down into a pair of categories: expected starter and those pushing for snaps.

• Expected starters: Brian Nelson II and Devon Marshall
• Pushing for time: Jamel Johnson and Jackson Vick

Nelson, a transfer from North Texas, was the top available corner when he committed to NC State during the spring portal window. He posted 53 tackles with 7 passes defended and 4 interceptions as a redshirt freshman a year ago. Now, with that campaign under his belt, Nelson is viewed as one of the Wolfpack’s top cornerback options heading into camp.

Marshall, meanwhile, burst onto the scene with the Wolfpack last fall. The former Villanova transfer appeared in 12 games, with five starts, as he proved himself to be more than just a rotational corner. He forced 14 incompletions in the secondary, which was the second-most at the Power Conference level, according to Pro Football Focus. Marshall’s standout season pushed his name toward the top of the depth chart, and that is anticipated to continue in fall camp as a starter going into 2025. 

Johnson and Vick are both battling Marshall and Nelson to find a way into NC State’s starting lineup this season. Johnson, a Temple transfer, logged 47 tackles with 9 passes defended and 2 interceptions last fall. He has proven production at the FBS level, which should help him in this competition. Vick, on the other hand, has been a backup corner during the last two seasons. He posted 16 tackles, including 2 for a loss, with a pair of passes defended last fall.

Keep an eye on the cornerback room. It should have plenty of competition throughout fall camp, which could easily continue into the season, too. 

Safety

NC State’s safety room took a hit this offseason as DK Kaufman and KJ Martin exhausted their eligibility, while returning part-time starter Bishop Fitzgerald left for the transfer portal (USC). That opened up several spots for the Wolfpack defensive backs to battle for this fall. 

Georgia State transfer safety JJ Johnson, who impressed throughout spring practice, is likely to win the free safety job, but that will still leave plenty of action fighting for strong safety. Redshirt senior Renté Hinton, a program player, is battling a youthful contingent for the role as redshirt sophomores Daemon Fagan and Zack Myers, along with redshirt freshmen Brody Barnhardt and Ronnie Royal III, are also in the mix. 

It’s going to be a spirited competition in fall camp, and at this point, it’s too early to determine a clear leader. If I had to pick one, I’d go with Royal, the do-it-all explosive athlete. But this will be an entertaining battle to keep a close eye on as camp rolls on.