Breaking Down the Performance of the NC State Defensive Line
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RALEIGH — NC State needed more pass rush. It was one of the first things coach Dave Doeren tasked his new defensive coordinator, DJ Eliot, with finding as he built the 2025 Wolfpack defense around his own scheme, different from what the Pack ran under longtime coordinator Tony Gibson.
Eliot hunted through the transfer portal after evaluating what the Wolfpack already had in place and assembled a combination of traditional defensive linemen and good fits for his JACK linebacker spot, a unique outside linebacker with a focus on rushing the passer. Because of those changes, there were some growing pains for NC State's defensive line in 2025, but the group still found ways to be productive.
Snap counts for the defensive line
- Graduate senior edge rusher Sabastian Harsh - 658 snaps
- Senior defensive tackle Brandon Cleveland - 490 snaps
- Graduate senior defensive tackle Travali Price - 469 snaps
- Redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Isaiah Shirley - 344
- Redshirt freshman edge rusher Chase Bond - 230 snaps
- Freshman nose tackle Josiah Victor - 121 snaps
- Redshirt junior edge rusher Joseph Adedire - 95 snaps
Assessing the performance of the defensive line
One of those key additions to the line was defensive end Sabastian Harsh, whom Eliot identified through his contacts in the Mountain West as a player with breakout potential. Harsh combined with Cian Slone to produce 102 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, four sacks and 89 quarterback pressures in the 2025 season. Without them, the defensive line would've been problematic.
There were bright spots outside of Harsh, however. Veteran nose guard Brandon Cleveland wrapped up his collegiate career strongly, once again failing to show up in the stat sheet, but still making the other team's game plan incredibly difficult with his size and skill at a unique position. Cleveland finished with a season-long Pro Football Focus defensive score of 70.8 and was viewed favorably in his run defense efforts, scoring a 74.3 in that category.
One of the best performances of the year by an NC State defender came from redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Isaiah Shirley. As a former tight end, Shirley knew what it took to steal a pass from the air and intercepted Wake Forest quarterback Robby Ashford at the line of scrimmage in the third game of the season. Shirley took off from there, returning the pick for a touchdown. He earned ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors.
The group lacked consistent contribution and production outside the top two players. Others struggled to make tackles in the early part of the year. True freshman defensive tackle Josiah Victor looked the part of a future star at times and spent a full year learning under the stalwart Cleveland, so the future could be bright at that spot. However, the loss of Harsh and Cleveland's production, coupled with graduating linebackers, is great.
NC State defensive line coach Charley Wiles helped Eliot identify Harsh. The hope is that his development process helps players who were limited or struggled in 2025 grow into more valuable contributors. A name like Chase Bond, who already proved himself with a pair of sacks as a redshirt freshman, could be one to watch.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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