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NC State picked to finish 10th in ACC preseason poll

image_6483441 (3)by: Noah Fleischman07/30/25fleischman_noah
Daylan Smothers
NC State redshirt sophomore running back Daylan Smothers aims to build off his last four games of last year. (USA Today Sports photos)

NC State coach Dave Doeren likes to operate under the radar. A year removed from having a preseason top-25 team, the 13th-year coach’s team doesn’t have as much hype entering the 2025 campaign. 

Instead, the Wolfpack was picked to finish 10th in the ACC’s preseason media poll, the league announced Wednesday afternoon. Clemson was the runaway favorite as it received 167 of the 183 first-place votes in the poll. 

“I’m really excited about the group I have coming back and how hungry they are,” Doeren said at ACC Kickoff last week in Charlotte. “It’s OK that we’re under the radar. I think that fits us. We need to go prove who we are.”

NC State returns 11 starters from last season’s team, including sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey, which marks the first time the Wolfpack has its incumbent signal-caller back since 2022. The former three-star recruit threw for 2,413 yards with 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as a true freshman last fall.

In addition to Bailey, the Wolfpack offense boasts standout running back Hollywood Smothers (571 rushing yards and six touchdowns) and star tight end Justin Joly (43 receptions, 661 yards and four touchdowns).

Defensively, NC State’s leading tackler, linebacker Sean Brown (96), is back along with middle linebacker Caden Fordham, consistent defensive tackle Brandon Cleveland (36 tackles) and emerging cornerback Devon Marshall (33 tackles, seven passes defended and two interceptions).

The ACC will announce its preseason all-conference team Thursday afternoon.

Full ACC preseason poll

1. Clemson (167) – 3,083 points
2. Miami (7) – 2,679
3. SMU (2) –  2,612
4. Georgia Tech (2) – 2,397
5. Louisville – 2,370
6. Duke – 1,973
7. Florida State (4) – 1,920
8. North Carolina – 1,611
9. Pitt – 1,571
10. NC State – 1,505
11. Virginia Tech (1) – 1,412
12. Syracuse – 1,381
13. Boston College – 953
14. Virginia – 871
15. Cal – 659
16. Wake Forest – 576
17. Stanford – 426

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