What we learned about NC State football from first fall camp practice

AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” played over the speakers at N.C. State’s practice fields Wednesday morning. It didn’t matter that it was sweltering and everyone was drenched in sweat. The excitement was palpable as players performed numerous drills on the first day of fall camp, signaling the start of football season.

Head coach Dave Doeren expressed positivity after practice and said it’s exciting to be back on the grass and get a real view at how players look, how they’ve improved and what else needs work before the team faces a real opponent.

“We’re not in pads, so some of the stuff you’ve got to kind of wait and see on — with the blocking and pass rush and taking on blocks and all that — but it was a good first day,” Doeren said. “Not a lot of install, but there’s a lot of things coming, a lot of competition coming in this training camp that I’ll be able to give you a lot more detail on guys after that.”

The team still needs to clean up imperfections, Doeren admits, but it took positive steps. Dropped balls and false starts were among some of the blunders.

Much of the open portion featured work on fundamental skills. Coaches emphasized speed on certain drills and slower timing on others. They discussed hand placement, low centers of gravity and gaining power through their feet.

Many of the Wolfpack’s losses last season came down to fundamental errors — three of its seven defeats came by five points or fewer — and the team knows a lot of people are counting them out. Running back Hollywood Smothers said everyone knows about last season’s struggles, but N.C. State looks to turn things around.

“If you’re gonna make a mistake, don’t make the same mistake twice,” Smothers said. “You know, like, figure out the rights and wrongs that we did and how we didn’t finish games when it came down to what position. But I feel like we’re definitely close, like we take it seriously. I feel like the approach to it is different now.”

The Wolfpack returns to the field on Aug. 28 and hosts East Carolina for its season opener at Carter-Finley Stadium.

CJ Bailey looks comfortable in return

This is the first time since Devin Leary in 2022 that N.C. State returns its starting quarterback, and there was a sense of ease because of it.

CJ Bailey took the field Wednesday with an air of confidence and lightness on his feet that only comes with experience.

Bailey appeared more confident and dynamic on his feet, with no issues taking contact, at least the limited amount allowed in practice. He’s also up to approximately 200 pounds after adding 15 to 20 pounds in the offseason, giving him more strength to make plays and escape pressure.

Offensive lineman Anthony Carter saw it, too. He said Bailey brings speed and decisiveness to the field this season that he didn’t have last year. He knows what he needs, can communicate that to the other players and he’s able to identify problems and fix them on his own.

Doeren said at ACC Kickoff that much of Bailey’s growth wasn’t from the physical or athletic aspect, though. There was a mental maturity that developed over the offseason and will serve the young QB well.

“The next play mentality is easy to say and hard to do for a lot of players,” Doeren said. “To CJ’s credit, he bounces back pretty fast. He’s very resilient. Not that it doesn’t bother him, but he’s able to get to the next snap. I always tell these guys, you can have a bad play, just realize the next play could win the game. You might throw a touchdown on the next play. You’ve got to get out of your head and get back into the focus of what that play needs. You’ve got to go through that as a player. Sometimes you’ve got to fail to understand it. CJ has gotten a lot better.”

Hype around Duke Scott feels real

Redshirt freshman Duke Scott earned plenty of props from his teammates this offseason, and on the first day of camp he looked as impressive as expected.

Listed at 5-foot-10 and 214 pounds, Scott enters his second season with the Wolfpack — he redshirted after one game in 2024 — and practiced with the poise and aggressiveness of an upperclassman.

Scott, despite his limited snaps last season, practiced alongside Smothers and the potential offensive starters. There didn’t appear to be any sort of dropoff when he stepped into a drill, either. It’s too early to know exactly how things will go, but the first impressions were extremely positive.

Smothers said Scott combines speed and power and is a “student of the game.” The redshirt sophomore believes the young back could compete for his job.

“I tell him every day he should be trying to take my spot,” Smothers said. “That’s for everybody in the room, man, everybody behind him should try to take his spot. That’s just the standard for our room. The more confident he gets, the more he knows how good he can be, and the better for us.”

Scott recorded 2,450 rushing yards and 40 touchdowns in his final high school season. He appeared in the Wolfpack’s 59-28 win over Stanford, recording 7 rushing yards.

Who will start at center?

N.C. State enters the season with its fourth different center in as many years, following the departures of Grant Gibson (2022), Dylan McMahon (2023) and Zeke Correll (2024). McMahon and Correll are on NFL rosters.

Who will replace the back-to-back pros is uncertain, though it appears graduate transfer Jalen Grant and true freshman Spike Sowells are the two projected favorites. Grant practiced, at least during the open period, primarily with the expected starting corps.

Carter joined Doeren in praising both centers. Carter said both are humble and hardworking, with Grant showing strong leadership and Sowells being an eager learner.

There’s going to be a tough competition for the role, though both players should be contributors regardless of “start” status.

“There’s a tradition there at that position,” Doeren said, “and we expect nothing to change; to have somebody in the middle that’s strong, that’s a good leader, and is consistent.”

Fordham returns to the field

Graduate linebacker Caden Fordham announced last week he had been cleared for contact activities after missing nine months with an ACL injury.

Despite concerns with his readiness, Fordham did not appear to have any mobility issues or visible pain. He wore a brace on his left knee, but that is not uncommon.

Doeren said after practice that he’s excited to see Fordham back and fully able to participate in practice, as opposed to focusing on individual work.

“I was more than excited, but at the same time, I was like, ‘All right, back to work. We gotta go now,’” Fordham said last week after getting cleared. “I wasn’t able to do spring ball and all that, so I’ve got a little bit of catching up to do. But I feel like I’m ready going into camp. I feel great and ready to roll.”

This story was originally published July 30, 2025 at 3:29 PM.

Jadyn Watson-Fisher

The News & Observer