In groups of twos and threes, the Wolfpack players walked or jogged into the Dail Football Complex for NCSU's first preseason practice. O'Brien was positioned at the bottom of a short slope near the practice fields, quietly observing as they passed him.

"I like to see them run on and off the field, see what they've got in their eyes," O'Brien later said. "Sometimes, you can tell which guys are ready to go and which guys aren't."

Junior tailback Andre Brown said he was ready. So, too, he said were the rest of his teammates, who are eager to atone for last year's dismal 3-9 record -- a losing season that cost Chuck Amato his job after seven seasons as coach.

"Guys were joyful," Brown said after a practice session that lasted nearly three hours on a sunny, sultry day. "We've got one common goal: to be the ACC champion. Everyone is determined to do whatever it takes.

"We've worked so hard in the offseason. We've been counting down the weeks, days, hours and minutes until this day."

O'Brien, unlike Amato, was mostly silent and never animated during practice. Dressed in a gray N.C. State T-shirt, khaki shorts and a straw hat with red band, he often stood 10 to 20 yards away from the drills, rarely blowing his whistle.

"I thought as a team we practiced well," O'Brien said. "They showed up, and they made it through the heat.

"Today was all about learning. It's instructional again. It's like the first day of spring practice all over again. A lot of instruction, a lot of individual work and very little team stuff."

The noise level was fairly low for the first day of practice, and senior wide receiver Darrell Blackman said that's the way things probably would be.

"That's focus," he said. "That's the focus you need to be a winning team. You won't see any playing around, talking and jibber-jabbering. We're here to work."

O'Brien, who coached the past 10 years at Boston College, ticked off his preseason concerns -- settling on a starting quarterback, the offensive line, depth at tight end, depth on defense. The Pack, which opens Sept. 1 against Central Florida, also will have a new punter and place-kicker.

Junior Daniel Evans goes into camp as the starter at quarterback and worked with the first-teamers Friday. Harrison Beck and Justin Burke also got plenty of snaps, and Russell Wilson, a freshman from Richmond, Va., was impressive at times with his touch and accuracy on throws.

Wide receiver John Dunlap did not practice, showing up just as the workout ended. O'Brien would not say why Dunlap sat out, saying only, "He'll be back."

Dunlap was one of three seniors chosen as team captains in a players' vote Thursday night. The others are tight end Marcus Stone and defensive end Martrel Brown.

The ACC media has picked the Pack to finish last again in the Atlantic Division.

"I like being the underdog," Andre Brown said with a smile. "Let's just go out and shock the world. That's our attitude."

While the practice tower -- an Amato fixture -- remains, O'Brien said he probably wouldn't use it very much.

"I'm afraid of heights," he joked.

Besides, it's hard to see the players' eyes from on high.