Two Things to Note About the 2021 NC State Wolfpack

RALEIGH NC – The NC State Wolfpack heading into the 2021 College football season looks to build on an 8-4 (7-3 ACC) record in 2020, which was good enough for fifth place in the ACC. After the conclusion of the ACC media day and bringing back 20 of their 22 starters from a year ago, the Wolfpack has the depth and leadership to make a potential push to find themselves at the thick of the race in the standings this upcoming season.

As the program continues its winning culture under head coach Dave Doeren, the roster expierence will undoubtedly give the Wolfpack an advantage. With QB Devin Leary and star LB Payton Wilson returning from injury, it will benefit both sides of the ball that much more. Even with the injuries and suspensions they suffered in 2020 within the secondary. They still ranked 6th in the ACC in passing defense thanks to their tremendous depth. On offense, they ranked 12th but will have their whole running back and wide receiver room returning with their signal-caller back 100% healthy.

With a veteran squad, there will still be competition throughout every position except quarterback. The tight end position and the offensive line will be the main focus as they lost starting TE Cary Angeline, which will only allow other players to step up and attempt to win that job. Most of the offensive line will be back, but they do have incoming transfers who started for their respective former teams that will create even more competition. The fact that the Wolfpack knows 90% of the players that will hit the field on a weekly basis will give them unlimited confidence, and it could be a problem for opposing teams.

This Wolfpack team is also an extremely tight group. Second the pandemic hit; some would think that the team would grow apart with not being there together face-to-face. The Wolfpack, however, became closer than ever. Center Grant Gibson, a top player in the country, spoke to the media that COVID19 helped each individual grow and allowed many guys to step up and become leaders as they had to be on the same page at all times.

Players and coaches could not talk enough of how many true leaders they have in the locker room, and it speaks volumes and translates on the field. They took advantage of the adversity, and it created the group to become stronger and showed them that they could fight through anything.

It did not only teach the players more about themselves but the coaches as well. Coach Doeren explained that the staff had to adapt and adjust differently, and it made them realize they could still perform at a high level even without training camp as long as the communication was vital. In addition, they were able to find management skills and coaching styles that they never knew about before, which will benefit the team going forward.

The NC State Wolfpack will have their hands full this season, hosting two powerhouse schools in Clemson and North Carolina. But these characteristics that they possess make them a dangerous threat, and they should be a team to keep track of for the entirety of the 2021 College football season.