Opponent Depth Chart: NC State Wolfpack

With both teams undefeated at 2-0, both Wake Forest and NC State look to continue their success by opening their conference schedule with a win. But who will start for the Wolfpack on Thursday?

Sep 6, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack running back Hollywood Smothers (3) runs with the football to score a touchdown during the second half of the game against Virginia Cavaliers at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

ACC conference play is finally here with a primetime Thursday night matchup between Wake Forest (2-0) and N.C. State (2-0). While the Demon Deacons have excelled at running the football so far this season, the Wolfpack will be Jake Dickert’s first Power 4 opponent as the Demon Deacons' head coach.

No matter the result of this Thursday's game, both the Demon Deacons and the Wolfpack will both find a variety of answers about their squad. Whether it’s clarity on depth at key positions or how they handle pressure in conference play, the ACC matchup will serve as an early benchmark for the rest of the season.

First injury report for the ACC, and it’s Wake Forest/NC State.

- little surprised to see Ashaad Williams + BJ Williams pop up out of nowhere but probable
- nice to see Mateen Ibirogba probable after leaving last weeks game
- Rushaun Tongue being questionable looms large pic.twitter.com/0yp01f0Lhc

— Cam Lemons Debro (@CamLemons_) September 10, 2025

With the first of many ACC availability reports coming out, the Wake Forest faithful can get a preview of who will be on the field on Thursday. The Wolfpack, like the Demon Deacons, have been relatively healthy through their first few games with the exception of the Demond Claiborne scare in Week 1 for Wake Forest.

A Quick Glance at the Wolfpack

Sep 6, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack huddle during the first half of the game against Virginia Cavaliers at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

N.C. State has opened their season with wins against East Carolina and an extremely talented Virginia team as well. But who has stood out for the Wolfpack through two games?

At the quarterback position, CJ Bailey enters his second year with the Wolfpack after starting all 12 games in 2024. The sophomore looks to build on a decent freshman campaign in which he threw for 2,413 yards along with 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. So far this season, Bailey's favorite target has been Wesley Grimes, who transferred to N.C. State from Wake Forest after the 2023 season.

Grimes has accounted for 154 yards and a touchdown in the receiving game and will likely be one of the top targets for Bailey when they take on the Demon Deacons.

Another standout player on the Wolfpack's roster is none other than Hollywood Smothers, a redshirt freshman who had over 570 yards of production in 2024 while accounting for six touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the ball, Caden Fordham and Sean Brown headline N.C. State's linebacker core. Fordham, a senior who totaled under 50 total tackles in his last two seasons, has 20 total tackles through only two games. Brown isn't far behind his fellow linebacker with 19 total tackles so far this season.

The main point of mentioning the two linebackers? The defense almost assuredly runs through them.

It isn't an overstatement to say that the Wolfpack's defensive line is in question. With so many of the plays being made by the linebackers and secondary, one can assume that the tackles and defensive ends have had trouble getting to the quarterback.

That bodes well for Demond Claiborne and the Deacons' run game, which dominated the pace of the game against Western Carolina last weekend, winning 42-10.

N.C. State Wolfpack Depth Chart

Offense

QB
#11 CJ Bailey
#2 Lex Thomas
#10 Will Wilson

RB
#3 Hollywood Smothers
#4 Duke Scott
#31 Coleson Fields
#25 Darius Johnson

WR-X
#6 Wesley Grimes
#12 Teddy Hoffman
#80 Ethan Dowdy

WR-Y
#8 Keenan Jackson
#27 Ashton Locklear
#16 Tank Boston

WR-Z
#5 Noah Rogers
#9 Terrell Anderson

TE-Y
#44 Cody Hardy
#87 Dante Daniels

TE-B
#7 Justin Joly
#82 Preston Douglas

LT
#65 Jacarrius Peak
#64 Rico Jackson

LG
#75 Anthony Carter Jr.
#79 Kamen Smith

C
#74 Jalen Grant
#72 Spike Sowells

RG
#71 Yousef Mugharbil
#50 Val Erickson

RT
#54 Teague Andersen
#73 Darion Rivers

Defense

EDGE
#54 Sabastian Harsh
#92 Chase Bond
#25 Joseph Adedire

NOSE
#44 Brandon Cleveland
#52 Chazz Wallace
#90 Josiah Victor

DT
#13 Travali Price
#88 Isaiah Shirley
#43 AJ Prim

JACK
#8 Cian Slone
#4 Tra Thomas

NIC
#22 Jackson Vick
#26 Asaad Brown
#10 Jivan Baly

MLB
#0 Sean Brown
#35 LaCorian Hodge
#38 Logan Foust

WLB
#1 Caden Fordham
#15 AJ Richardson (OUT)
#30 Zane Williams

SAM
#33 Kenny Soares Jr.
#42 Ke’Von Carter

LCB
#6 Devon Marshall
#32 Michael Tate
#41 Caden Gordon

SS
#16 JJ Johnson
#29 Brody Barnhardt
#24 Zack Myers

FS
#2 Ronnie Royal II
#19 Trisdan Teasdell

RCB
#21 Jamel Johnson
#7 Brian Nelson II

Special Teams

K
#91 Nick Koniecznski
#94 Kanoah Vinesett

P
#98 Caden Noonkester
#96 Owen Fehr

KO
#94 Charlie Birtwistle
#91 Nick Koniecznski

LS
#95 Jake Mann
#92 Aiden Arias

H
#98 Caden Noonkester
#96 Owen Fehr

PR
#6 Wesley Grimes
#12 Teddy Hoffman
#9 Terrell Anderson

KOR
#4 Duke Scott
#3 Hollywood Smothers