NC State's Kenny Soares Jr. Speaks After Dominant Week 6 Performance

RALEIGH — NC State put together its best defensive performance of the season, beating the Campbell Fighting Camels 56-10 in front of a home crowd Saturday.

The Wolfpack was missing a number of key defensive players, including middle linebacker and team captain Sean Brown. The veteran's absence caused a shift in the positions for the group, forcing Caden Fordham into Brown's spot for the first time in 2025 and Kenny Soares Jr. into Fordham's weakside linebacker role.

Soares responded with one of his best games as a member of the NC State program. The Northwestern transfer spoke after the game about his ability to provide a spark for the struggling defense and the group's confidence moving forward.

Watch Soares' Press Conference Here

Here is a partial transcript of Soares' availability:

On fixing the tackling issues from the last two losses

"It feels good that we're able to flip a switch on what we need to. In my opinion, it's never good enough. We have to be able to do this week-to-week and not take a week off and be able to do it every single week and stack the days together. Maybe today was a good start to it, but next week has to be better and the week after has to be even better."

On setting the tone for the defense early

" I pride myself on being the most energetic person on the field, being able to carry that. With me coming here and this being my first year here; at Northwestern, we didn't really pack the stands as much as we do here. There, whenever you have a home game, you always have to bring your own energy. I kind of brought that chip on my shoulder being able to be here and just carrying that energy through to my brothers and making sure everybody is able to feel me, so we can work together on the field."

Kenny Soares Jr. — Oct 4, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack defensive end Sabastian Harsh (54) and linebacker Jr. Kenny Soares (33) celebrate a tackle during the first half of the game against Campbell Fighting Camels at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

On having DJ Eliot back around the team for Saturday's game

"It's amazing. We had him gone last week, but this week, him being back and stepping into his role again and him being able to be on the sideline and just seeing a smile on his face, it means a lot to us as a defense. We consider him family. He brought me in here and I have all trust with him as a coach. To see him down, it brings me down. To see him up, it just puts a smile on my face seeing him back..."

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