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2026 NC State

3–⁠3 (1–⁠2 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by Dave Doeren.

Schedule and results

NC State in 2026, game by game: lost at Virginia 8–34; won vs. Richmond 73–0; lost at Vanderbilt 31–35; won vs. App State 41–31; won vs. Louisville 31–28; lost vs. Wake Forest 14–38+73−26Lost 8–34 at Virginia-26VirginiaWon 73–0 vs. Richmond+73RichmondLost 31–35 at Vanderbilt-4VanderbiltWon 41–31 vs. App State+10App StateWon 31–28 vs. Louisville+3LouisvilleLost 14–38 vs. Wake Forest-24Wake Forest
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 29atVirginiaL 8–⁠3440%
Sep 11vsRichmondW 73–⁠076%
Sep 19atVanderbiltL 31–⁠3531%
Sep 26vsApp StateW 41–⁠3164%
Oct 3vsLouisvilleW 31–⁠2850%
Oct 10vsWake ForestL 14–⁠3857%
Oct 23atStanfordPreview55%
Oct 31vsCaliforniaPreview71%
Nov 7vsDukePreview48%
Nov 14vsSyracusePreview74%
Nov 21atFlorida StatePreview48%
Nov 28atNorth CarolinaPreview44%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

Record
3–⁠3
Conference
1–⁠2 tied for 11th in Atlantic Coast Conference
AP now
Unranked
Points
198–⁠166
Coach
Dave Doeren
Elo
1533 −24 this season
SP+ rating
-1.3 No. 78 of 138; offense No. 52, defense No. 106, special teams No. 70
SRS
−2.8 No. 80 of 138 in FBS
Returning
60% of last season’s EPA, No. 41 of 136
Recruiting class
No. 49 roster talent No. 32 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Kurt Roper
Defensive coordinators
D.J. Eliot and Charlton Warren
Offense
Power spread
Defense
Multiple 3–⁠4

How good, play by play

  • Offense83rd of 138
  • Defense121st of 138
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted86th of 138
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted126th of 138
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0841%1.1183rd of 138
Defense0.2445%1.33121st of 138
Opponent-adjusted0.08 off
0.19 def		40% off
45% def		—86th off
126th def

Passing and running

Pass successDepth of targetDeep throwsLine yardsStuffed
Offense51%8.7 yds13%3.1015%
Defense43%9.1 yds14%2.8021%
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played. Passing and running: depth of target is how far downfield passes traveled in the air; deep throws are the share thrown deep, of the passes whose depth and direction the play-by-play describes (about half); line yards are the running yards per carry credited to the blockers; stuffed is the share of carries stopped at or behind the line. The defense’s line is what its opponents did. From CollegeFootballData.com, 2025 on.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense4.2own 2815% allowed
Defense3.9own 2816% caused

CORE rating -11.2, 109th of 138 (offense -0.3, defense 10.9).

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsC.J. Bailey QB1,507 yds
Passing touchdownsC.J. Bailey QB9 TD
Rushing yardsJayden Scott RB358 yds
Rushing touchdownsWill Wilson QB6 TD
Receiving yardsKeenan Jackson WR400 yds
Receiving touchdownsKeenan Jackson WR5 TD
TacklesRaul Aguirre Jr. LB55 tkl
SacksElijah Satchell LB3 sacks
InterceptionsBrody Barnhardt S1 INT

Top recruits in the 2026 class

Amiri Acker WR★★★★No. 306
Tyreek Copper WR★★★★No. 469
Damaad Lewis DL★★★No. 508
Tex Vaughn TE★★★No. 665
Jordyn Best CB★★★No. 731

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2026 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.852
Running backs23.00.863
Receivers53.40.881
Offensive line33.00.862
Defensive line53.00.863
Linebackers33.00.868
Defensive backs63.00.874
Athletes and specialists13.00.871
Whole class263.10.869

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Roster 127

The 2026 roster

127 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2026 line; 65 have a stat line. See the roster

Transfers in 20

The 2026 portal
Hunter Provience TE★★★from Montana State
Raul Aguirre Jr. LB★★★from Miami
Joshisa Trader WR★★★from Miami
King Mack S★★★from Penn State
Ondre Evans CB★★★from Georgia
Chance Robinson WR★★★from Miami
DaKaari Nelson LB★★★from Penn State
Daniel Cruz OL★★★from Texas
Davion Gause RB★★★from North Carolina
Harvey Dyson III DE★★★from Tulane
Jimarion McCrimon OT★★★from East Carolina
Katron Evans DL★★★from Marshall

And 8 more, lower-rated or unrated.

Transfers out 22

Hollywood Smothers RB★★★★to Texas
Jacarrius Peak OT★★★★to South Carolina
Terrell Anderson WR★★★★to USC
Noah Rogers WR★★★★to Alabama
Elijah Groves LB★★★to Sam Houston
Joshua Ofor LB★★★to Arkansas State
Kenny Soares Jr. LB★★★to Michigan State
Jivan Baly CB★★★to Old Dominion
Justin Terrell DL★★★to Sam Houston
Tank Boston WR★★★to Charlotte
Renté Hinton S★★★to Marshall
Darion Rivers OT★★★to Troy

And 10 more, lower-rated or unrated.

2026 Atlantic Coast Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Miami4–⁠06–⁠0
Wake Forest4–⁠16–⁠1
SMU3–⁠15–⁠1
North Carolina2–⁠14–⁠2
Clemson2–⁠14–⁠2
Louisville3–⁠24–⁠3
Virginia Tech2–⁠25–⁠2
Pittsburgh2–⁠25–⁠2
Virginia2–⁠24–⁠3
California2–⁠23–⁠4
Duke1–⁠24–⁠2
NC State1–⁠23–⁠3
Boston College1–⁠23–⁠3
Georgia Tech1–⁠22–⁠4
Florida State1–⁠33–⁠4
Stanford1–⁠33–⁠4
Syracuse0–⁠42–⁠4

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.