NC State — ACC
HC
Dave Doeren · Carter-Finley Stadium · Raleigh, NC · 58,000 cap
PPA off / def
0.24 / 0.19
2025
Class rank
#49
class of 2026
Returning PPA
60%
returning production
| 2004 |
OSU W 22–14 | away |
| 2003 |
OSU W 44–38 | Columbus |
2026 schedule
2025 results (8–5)
Statistical comps — 2025 NC State's closest analogs
Nearest neighbors by z-scored success rate, explosiveness, run rate & havoc (offense + defense), 2015–25.
2025 leaders
Transfer portal — 2026 (20 in / 22 out)
| Incoming |
|---|
| Hunter Provience | TE | ← Montana State | ★★★ |
| Raul Aguirre Jr. | LB | ← Miami | ★★★ |
| Joshisa Trader | WR | ← Miami | ★★★ |
| King Mack | S | ← Penn State | ★★★ |
| Ondre Evans | CB | ← Georgia | ★★★ |
| Daniel Cruz | IOL | ← Texas | ★★★ |
| Vander Ploog | TE | ← Oregon | ★★★ |
| Harvey Dyson | EDGE | ← Tulane | ★★★ |
| + 12 more |
Origins
Rivers' odd sidearm delivery produced four bowl seasons and a long NFL career, and Russell Wilson followed. The Wolfpack own one ACC era, the mid-1970s, and a great deal of patience.
Founded 1887 · Land-grant college founded to teach agriculture and engineering · first football 1892 · defined by Philip Rivers
All-time record
All-time
631–595–48
1902–2025
Win %
51.4%
124 seasons played
Winning seasons
62
50% of seasons
| Best seasons | W | L | Conference |
|---|
| 2002 | 11 | 3 | ACC |
| 1927 | 9 | 1 | Southern |
| 1974 | 9 | 2 | ACC |
| 1967 | 9 | 2 | ACC |
| 2021 | 9 | 3 | ACC |
Season records from CollegeFootballData, which is why the span starts at 1902 — that is where its coverage of this program begins, not necessarily the first year it fielded a team.
Play-calling tendencies (2025 · garbage time excluded)
| Situation | Plays | Run % | Success % | Nat'l | Avg yds | Expl % |
|---|
| 1st down | 329 | 61% |
43% | 85 of 136 | 6.6 | 15% |
| 2nd down | 241 | 38% |
45% | 55 of 136 | 6.4 | 12% |
| 3rd & short (≤3) | 35 | 71% |
69% | — | 4.1 | 9% |
| 3rd & medium (4–7) | 51 | 16% |
47% | — | 7.1 | 18% |
| 3rd & long (8+) | 57 | 19% |
21% | — | 7.2 | 14% |
| 4th down | 22 | 64% |
59% | — | 2.5 | 0% |
156 drives · 33% ended in points · 6.7 plays and 37.6 yards per drive · 1.28 PPA per drive
Success: 50% of yardage needed on 1st, 70% on 2nd, 100% on 3rd/4th. Explosive: 12+ yd rush / 16+ yd pass. National rank is shown only for 1st and 2nd down, where every team has 100+ plays; the later buckets average 18-43 and a rank there would be noise.
League leaderboard →Most valuable plays (by PPA, 2025)
| Wk | Opp | Play | Yds | PPA |
|---|
| 4 | Duke |
CJ Bailey pass complete to Terrell Anderson for 75 yds for a TD (Kanoah Vinesett KICK) |
75 | 7.16 |
| 10 | Georgia Tech |
Teddy Hoffmann 55 Yd pass from CJ Bailey (Kanoah Vinesett Kick) |
55 | 5.94 |
| 9 | Pittsburgh |
(14:57) Shotgun #3 H.Smothers rush middle for 65 yards gain to the Pitt00 TOUCHDOWN, clock… |
65 | 5.24 |
| 1 | East Carolina |
Wesley Grimes 48 Yd pass from CJ Bailey (Nick Konieczynski Kick) |
48 | 4.76 |
| 9 | Pittsburgh |
(03:29) No Huddle-Shotgun #12 T.Hoffmann pass complete deep right to #7 J.Joly caught at P… |
59 | 4.66 |
| 6 | Campbell |
Hollywood Smothers run for 59 yds for a TD (Kanoah Vinesett KICK) |
59 | 4.66 |
| 10 | Georgia Tech |
(04:38) Shotgun #11 C.Bailey pass complete deep right to #9 T.Anderson caught at GT25, for… |
51 | 4.66 |
| CFP | Memphis |
Wesley Grimes 31 Yd pass from CJ Bailey (Kanoah Vinesett Kick) |
31 | 4.22 |