Wolfpack Pros in NFL Continue to Elevate NC State

While NC State and head coach Dave Doeren enjoyed their weekend watching other teams play, some of Doeren's former players will put the pads on and battle it out on the NFL stage Sunday.

The Wolfpack has several talented players poised to play major roles for their NFL squads, including Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett, Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu and more Wolfpackers around the league.

On this episode of the NC State Insider Podcast, host Tucker Sennett will get you caught up on all of the Pack professionals you need to know about before kickoff of the Week 7 matchups.

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Before Doeren and the Wolfpack enjoyed the bye week, they suffered an ugly 36-7 loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The veteran coach provided his thoughts after the game, expressing some frustration in the team's inability to play complementary football.

Doeren Transcript

Oct 11, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; NC State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren walks on the field against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

On what went wrong offensively

"I thought we had four or five down the field throws that we've been making, and at least having a chance to make plays on and that just didn't happen today. Unfortunately, when you get man free as much as we did today, you're gonna have to be able to win some one-on-ones down the field."

"Teddy (Hoffmann) made a couple plays for us, but we had Noah (Rogers) deep. We had (Justin) Joly deep. Not one of those today we connected on."

Dave Doeren and Marcus Freema — Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, right, and NC State head coach Dave Doeren shake hands after Notre Dame won a NCAA football game 36-7 against NC State at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On the issues with playing complimentary football

"I wish I had the answer. It's not because we don't talk about it every week. That's what I told the guys in there. We've had games where we played lights out on defense, had games where we played lights out on offense. Had games where special teams was really poor."

"We need to put all three phases together, and it's a five-game season now. That's going to be the focus of things, finishing with three-phase football, complementary football, and getting better."

On sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey's struggles during the game

"CJ was off a little today. I mean, there's no other way to say it and I told him that in the locker room. He's a great player and he's played really good for us this year. I'm not blaming him at any point, but you know, he has huge expectations for himself and so do we. I felt like we could run by their DBs and we did. Every other game, guys have paid for that and we just didn't make them pay today."

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