Wolfpack's DJ Eliot Has a Player Emerging on Defense

NC State is 3-0. It’s been three weeks of Wolfpack action, and defensively, the unit is settling into the new scheme D.J. Eliot introduced in the offseason. The past two weeks, the unit has struggled in the first half, but in the second half, the defense hasn't allowed much operating room.

Against Virginia, they only allowed one touchdown after allowing 24 points to the Cavaliers. This past Thursday, the defense gave up 17 points, one touchdown came from a kickoff return touchdown, to Wake Forest. In the second half? The Demon Deacons couldn’t score a point.

Demond Claiborn — Sep 11, 2025; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons wide receiver Sterling Berkhalter (4) catches a pass in the first half against North Carolina State Wolfpack at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Luke Jamroz-Imagn Images | Luke Jamroz-Imagn Images

The scheme is multiple heavy. Meaning the front of NC State shifts before and after the snap. It’s hard to tell who is coming or who is dropping into coverage. To help run this type of style, players have to be versatile.

Eliot knows this, and in the offseason, he made sure to acquire the talent needed in the transfer portal. One of those pieces was Northwestern graduate transfer linebacker Kenny Soares Jr. Eliot can rush the passer, drop into coverage and play in the slot. He screams versatile and can fit into anywhere or anything Eliot wants to run on the defensive end – against Wake Forest, Soares led the team in quarterback pressures.

In three weeks, he has 91 total defensive snaps. 71 as a defensive lineman, 13 as a stand-up linebacker and seven lined up in the slot. With the multiple scheme, Eliot can use Soares as a defensive lineman at times, but drop him into coverage, creating a simulated pressure.

Soares featured in different looks

5:35 remaining in the fourth quarter, third-and-9

Here, the Wolfpack shows one of their more complicated looks in an obvious passing down. NC State has seven players on the line who could potentially rush. The only player in a three-point stance along the line is Travali Price. Everyone else is in a two-point stance, with some players like Sean Brown and Caden Fordham creeping along the front showing blitz.

Soares is lined up outside of the left tackle, and with a front shown like this. He can easily drop into coverage. The ball gets snapped, and out of the seven players, only three rush, including Soares.

6:30 remaining in the second quarter, third-and-4

NC State shows another puzzle for the offensive line to decipher. Only two rushers are in three-point stances, while the stand-up edges in Soares and Cian Slone could easily drop back into coverage. Eliot has shown frequently in the young season, edge rushers drop into coverage and blitz the field-side linebacker; in this instance, it’d be Sean Brown.

It’s a weird situation as Robby Ashford used a hard count, and NC State jumped, but pay attention to Soares on this rep. He was supposed to fake rushing the offensive tackle and back off into coverage. Which he does just not as fast, because he assumed a flag to be thrown.

1:45 remaining in the first quarter, first-and-10

In the past two clips, he was primarily along the defensive line. Now he’s lined up out wide over the slot receiver of the Demon Deacons. His athleticism gives Eliot the ability to trust him to be out there and play coverage.

Here, NC State is in a cover three, and Soares is responsible for the field side flat. Soares does just that and shows off his open-field quickness within the rep.

5:35 remaining in the third quarter, third-and-7

Now it's time to put it all together from the previous clips. Here, NC State comes out in a 5-1 defensive front with Brown and Fordham lined up as those standup edge rushers. This time, Soares is the solo standup backer.

Eliot is just trying to confuse the offensive line, and he can come out looking like this because he has the versatility from his players. Brown and Fordham drop back into coverage while Soares comes screaming on a blitz through the boundary side, A gap.

With the simulated pressures on the outside, it's Soares one-on-one with the running back and he beats him to pressure Ashford. He misses his tackle but flushes Ashford out of the pocket, creating an incompletion down the field on third down.

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