Way-Too-Early Louisville 2026 Opponent Preview: NC State

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the summer months now on the horizon and rosters across college football now firmly set in stone, Louisville Cardinals On SI will provide way-too-early previews for each opponent on their 2026 schedule.

Next up, we continue our way-too-early preview series with the Cardinals' first true road game at NC State:

NC State Wolfpack

2026 Meeting: Saturday, Oct. 3 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C.
Last Meeting: Louisville won 13-10 on Sept. 29, 2023 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C.
All-Time Series: Louisville leads 9-4

Year 13 under head coach Dave Doeren saw NC State have some up-and-downs, but overall, take a step forward from their 2024 campaign that saw them go under .500. Despite hovering around that mark during the middle portion of the 2025 season, the Wolfpack finished strong, winning their final three games to go 8-5 overall.

While NC State has largely been known for their stout defenses during Doeren's tenure in Raleigh, over the last couple seasons, they've mainly been led by the other side of the ball. The Wolfpack averaged the 44th-most points per game in the FBS last season at 30.2, although their 391.2 yards per game ranked just 64th.

There's a lot of moving pieces on NC State's offense, but they return the most important piece on their entire team. C.J. Bailey enters the 2026 season as one of the top quarterbacks in the league, coming off of a sophomore campaign where he completed 68.8 percent of his passes for 3,105 yards and 25 touchdowns against nine interceptions. Also rushing for 215 yards and six scores, Bailey will take NC State's offense as far as he can carry them.

As far as the skill positions around Bailey, NC State faced a lot of turnover this offseason, as they lost their top four pass catchers by receiving yards. However, it should still be a solid core of guys to throw to.

Returners Teddy Hoffman (25 catches for 430 yards and 3 touchdowns) and Keenan Jackson (28/281/2) should take a step forward in bigger roles, while Buffalo's Victor Snow (62/815/8) and App State's Davion Dozier (20/448/5) transferred in to round out the main crop of wide receivers. That being said, the main concern is that there is no clear and obvious tight end to take over following Justin Joly's departure.

Another blow was running back Daylan "Hollywood" Smothers' decision to enter the transfer portal. Jayden Scott, who ran for 581 yards and four touchdowns while catches 37 passes for 189 yards and a score, is in line to take over as the starter. While he's a step back from Smothers, Scott will certainly benefit from a bigger role. North Carolina's Davion Gause (391 yards and five touchdowns from scrimmage) should be a serviceable backup as well.

Offensive line is a bit of a concern for NC State. Their 1.85 sacks and 5.77 tackles for loss allowed per game came in 66th and 97th in the FBS, respectively, not to mention they lose three of their top four linemen. Of their projected starting five - LT Jimarion McCrimon (ECU transfer), LG Kamen Smith, C Daniel Cruz (Texas transfer), RG Spike Sowells Jr. and RT Teague Andersen - only two had a Pro Football Focus grade of over 60.0 with triple digit snaps played last season.

On the other side of the ball, things get much worse, as the Wolfpack are coming off one of the worst defensive seasons in the Doeren era. NC State gave up 411.9 yards and 27.2 points per game, with those marks ranking 109th and 82nd in the FBS, respectively. For better or for worse, this unit will look a little different in 2026, as 12 of their 19 leading tacklers departed the program this offseason, leading Doeren and Co. to have to fill several needs via the portal.

A bit of a caveat here, though: Tulane transfer Harvey Dyson III, while technically a linebacker in this scheme, plays mostly on the line. He's coming off of a year where he collected 36 tackles, 11.5 for loss and eight sacks, so he'll be a boost on the defensive front.

As far as the other linebackers go, Miami's Raul "Popo" Aguirre Jr. (43 tackles, 2.0 for loss) was a solid addition through the portal. But others like Penn State's DaKarri Nelson plus returners LaCorian Hodge and A.J. Richardson - who combined for only 22 tackles last season - will all have to take steps forward. Otherwise there will be a massive hole in the middle of the field.

With as many questions as the defensive front has, the secondary is the biggest questions mark of all. NC State gave up 273.2 passing yards per game last season, which ranked 130th among the 134 teams operating at the FBS level. Despite losing Devon Marshall to the NFL, there is some continuity on the back end - for better or for worse.

Cornerbacks Brian Nelson II (29 tackles, 6 PBU) Jackson Vick (45 tackles, 6 PBUs), who were tied for second on the team in PBUs, are running it back. Safeties Assad Brown Jr. (64 tackles, 2 PBUs, 1 interception) and Ronnie Royal III (49 tackles, 1 PBU, 1 interception), the third and sixth-leading tacklers for the Wolfpack, come back for 2026 as well. Returners Brody Barnhart and Tristan Teasdell, plus Alabama's King Mack, round out a decent collection of defensive backs - but they will have to do better when it comes to playing as a team.

Overall, despite this game being on the road, NC State is a very gettable opponent for Louisville. The Wolfpack's offense has some playmakers, but also some questions to go along with it, and their defense is likely going to rank in the bottom half of the ACC when the season starts.

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NC State Wolfpack

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