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N.C. State football opened fall camp Wednesday morning ahead of the 2026 season, and it felt different.
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Head coach Dave Doeren compared the first day of practice to Christmas or a birthday. He’s not necessarily comfortable — there’s plenty of preparation remaining — but he’s excited. The longtime coach performed a jittery gesture, a physical representation of his enthusiasm.
There are a few reasons for what felt like a different first-day-back news conference.
Last season seemed to have more turmoil than most, between a number of staff changes, including both coordinators; the mid-season death of defensive coordinator DJ Eliot’s daughter, Drue; a Rolodex of injuries and rumors of Doeren’s retirement. (And that’s saying something, considering 2023 and 2024 were no walks in the park, either.)
This July, at least in the brief window of N.C. State’s open practice and the first media interviews, there felt like a larger sense of purpose among the team.
“There’s a really ‘on board’ feeling with this group and a hunger to make this place better than it’s been,” Doeren said Wednesday. “It’s been good, but to make it special, it’s a one-day-at-a-time approach. That’s what we’re gonna do. We’ve got 30 days till we play Virginia, and we need every one of them to count.”
Developing and growing leadership skills has become a larger emphasis for a number of players.
Junior quarterback CJ Bailey is not new to the role, the program or to guiding others, but his influence and ability to guide players down the roster is. That’s the first thing Doeren and Bailey’s teammates mention when they talk about areas of growth.
“Last year he was an offensive leader. This year he’s a team leader, and it’s different,” Doeren said. “You can feel it. He can talk to anybody. He’s got complete confidence in them, and they have complete confidence in him. He knows that. There’s just a commanding presence and a level of comfort.
“Speaking in front of people isn’t easy for everybody, and not everybody can do that, even when they’re a good leader, not everybody can do that. He’s grown in that area. That’s going to help our football team — to have an alpha leader at that position. It’s not always that way.”
Some of the Wolfpack’s most notable complete team leaders have been on the defensive side, Doeren said, including Payton Wilson, Isaiah Moore and Davin Vann. Bailey has accepted the role with pride. He’s taken notes from those who came before, spoken with NFL quarterbacks and practiced using his voice.
Bailey said he has full control and is moving in the right direction.
He’s not alone. Junior running back Duke Scott earned the traditional No. 1 jersey in June, highlighting his athletic performance, leadership and academic commitments. Sophomore offensive lineman Spike Sowells said 22 players are part of the team’s leadership council, which meets regularly. The group works on specific skills, including problem solving, communication and team building.
Sowells called it a special group, though he admitted he can’t name everyone off the top of his head.
“That means you have a lot of people in different position groups who are able to take command and help each other out,” Sowells said. “We try and take stress off of each other. So if CJ is talking to the guys, what CJ says is word. What AJ (Richardson) or Popo (Aguirre) says to the defense, that’s word. We stick together on that stuff.”
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Brian Nelson, a second-year transfer from North Texas, also caught Doeren’s attention. The cornerback made athletic strides in the offseason, and he can command the position room with his voice and work ethic. That’s something the team needed in the secondary, with the graduation of three corners.
Nelson is proud of it, too. He’s always felt like a leader but was someone who shied away from the front. He likes to be an example. His teammates are pushing him to be a guy at the front of the room, giving directions and encouragement.
“You’ve got to always speak life into guys, too,” Nelson said, “to know that you believe in them and that they’re really great people and players.”
The Wolfpack wants to win, to be clear. It was picked to finish No. 7 in the ACC, according to the preseason poll. The intensity and instruction on Day 1, however, indicated a belief and expectation to surpass that prediction.
Coaches made comments in hopes of improving footwork and hand placement. They reminded players to “put things on tape.” Bailey said he could feel the intensity. N.C. State emphasized the importance of getting the most out of every day before the opener. There was no easing into things.
Jonathan Paylor went through basic warmups, but the junior running back did not participate in contact activities. Paylor, a Burlington native, has not suited up for the Wolfpack since his freshman year, when he appeared against Western Carolina, Tennessee and East Carolina.
Paylor sustained a season-ending injury during last year’s fall camp, after showing promise during the early days of practice, and his return for this season remains uncertain.
N.C. State sought replacements for Paylor and Hollywood Smothers, who is now at Texas, in the transfer portal.
Duke Scott remains the expected starter at running back, but the Pack could rely on Davion Gause, too.
The NCAA denied waivers for defensive lineman Katron Evans and offensive lineman Jai’Lun Hampton in the last two weeks. Evans’ denial came on Tuesday, less than 24 hours before the start of camp.
Doeren said the team is disappointed in the result. It filed the waiver and appeals and believes it still has a case for him to play.
“Any time you lose anybody, it concerns you,” Doeren said. “We knew when we signed him that he needed waivers. We’ve made plans with him and plans without him. It’s not a surprise, but it is a disappointment because there’s a lot of cases in the past that were definitely similar that were passed in a positive way. We support him and everything that he’s going to do to continue to fight, and we’ll see where it ends up.”
N.C. State knew Hampton’s case might be more difficult to get approved, despite his injury occurring during the junior college level. Doeren said depth on the front five, however, gives the Pack plenty of versatility without Hampton.
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This story was originally published July 29, 2026 at 2:51 PM.