As NC State football begins practice, Wolfpack still must answer these four questions
N.C. State football starts fall practice Wednesday, beginning perhaps one of the biggest training camps in team history. It’s definitely the biggest camp in the Dave Doeren era.
The Wolfpack returns 18 starters. Quarterback Devin Leary was named the ACC preseason Player of the Year. After a nine-win season in 2021, it feels like it’s the ACC title game or bust this season.
N.C. State was picked to finish second in the Atlantic, but also received a number of votes to win the ACC championship game. That builds a kind of excitement around the program that hasn’t been seen since Philip Rivers’ senior season in 2003.
Doeren, though, is quick to point out his team hasn’t arrived yet.
“It’s not like we won the ACC a year ago and we’re back here like we’re going to do it again,” Doeren said last month at the ACC’s Kickoff event. “We still need to get there.”
On paper, it appears there are almost as many answers as questions. But there are still plenty of questions as the team hits the practice field.
Here are four the Wolfpack needs to answer:
Is Anthony Belton ready for big role?
The biggest question — literally — is who replaces the biggest and most imposing player on N.C. State’s roster.
Ikem Ekwonu protected Leary’s blindside a year ago. In April, Ekwonu was the first offensive player selected in the NFL draft, sixth overall by the Carolina Panthers.
Redshirt sophomore Anthony Belton will probably get the first shot. While he has the measurables (6-6, 330), the Tallahassee, Fla., native doesn’t have the experience. Belton was on the field for just 11 snaps a year ago. He started at left tackle during the spring game in April.
Belton should benefit from having four experienced starters to his right.
“I think we have a bunch of dudes that are trying to compete to get that starting spot that Ickey was in, but I know with the other four offensive linemen that we have coming back that they hold that room to a high standard,” Leary said at ACC Kickoff. “Whoever it is filling into that role, they understand that the other four offensive linemen will be counting on them, just as they did on Ickey.”
Veteran Bryson Speas, who started every game a year ago at right tackle, has the ability to play on the left side. If Doeren decides to go with the experienced Speas (24 starts) at left tackle, redshirt sophomore Tim McKay could start at the right tackle spot.
Which running back will stand out?
With Zonovan Knight and Ricky Person gone, N.C. State will break in a new starting running back this season.
Jordan Houston got the first crack at in the spring and that should continue into fall camp. Houston, a junior, rushed for 23 yards and one touchdown in the spring. Houston carried the ball 20 times last year. Delbert Mimms is the next player with any meaningful carries a year ago, with just six.
Mimms, who has been a special teams star his first two years and freshman Demie Sumo-Karngbaye should be part of a three-man rotation early.
Who is fully healed and ready to go in camp?
Injuries wrecked the team last season. At one point, seven starters were out for the year on defense. That carried over to the spring, with multiple starters watching from the sidelines.
Linebacker Payton Wilson played in just two games last season. He spent the spring recovering from shoulder surgery, going through drills alone on a field next to the practice turf.
Will Wilson, a preseason all-ACC selection, be good to go for full contact, or will Doeren limit his snaps to save him for the season? Same with linebacker Isaiah Moore, who had knee surgery last fall.
Can State handle the hype?
Since last January, when so many players announced they were returning, the buzz has been building.
Throughout the offseason, N.C. State has been ranked in the top 15 of various polls and is considered a legitimate ACC title contender.
Even with all the experience, only time will tell how the team handles the outside noise.
“We’re going to have a team meeting,” wide receiver Devin Carter told the News & Observer. “And people will talk about deleting their social media just to lock in. That’s what you have to do.”
This story was originally published August 2, 2022 at 7:06 AM with the headline "As NC State football begins practice, Wolfpack still must answer these four questions."
