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One of N.C. State’s starters is expected to return this weekend after missing part of the team’s home opener.
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Wolfpack center Spike Sowells should be back on the offensive line this weekend.
“He’s doing great,” N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren said Monday. “Yeah, no, he’s doing really good. Totally expect him to be ready.”
Sowells did not return to play following the weather delay on Friday night against Richmond and stood on the sidelines wearing street clothes.
Teammate Teague Andersen shifted to center in the sophomore’s absence, playing at the position for the first time in a game. Despite the change in the lineup, the Wolfpack defeated the Spiders, 73-0.
Sowells played 29 snaps against the Spiders and 56 against Virginia in the season opener. The center is listed as one of the top pass blockers on the team, earning a Pro Football Focus grade of 84.5 between the two appearances. Sowells graded out at 83.9, according to PFF, for his brief performance last week.
He’s in his second season with the program after playing behind Jalen Grant one year ago. He earned a handful of starts last season and stepped into the full-time role after Grant graduated.
Sowells ended the 2025 season with an injury and missed the bowl game. He returned this season to take over the role held by multiple now-NFL players.
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“Spike has always been a center,” Andersen said. “That’s what he always will be.”
During fall camp, Doeren complimented Sowell’s growth. The sophomore stepped into a vocal leadership position and now has a “commanding presence” on the field.
Andersen told reporters in August that schools contacted Sowells, whom he called one of his best friends, “left and right” to lure him from Raleigh. The two talked regularly and discussed the tempting offers with large sums of money attached. They returned with big goals for the offensive line and the football team.
“Obviously, they’re gonna be tempting, but we have a chance to make this year special,” Andersen told Sowells. “He’s like, ‘Yeah, I wouldn’t do it any other way.’”
N.C. State is scheduled to face Vanderbilt at 12:45 p.m. ET on Saturday. This is the second regular season meeting in series history, and the fourth all-time.
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