Wolfpack's Brazil-bound opener lands in Charlottesville
NC State opens the season on the road at Virginia in a game that was booked for São Paulo eight months ago, with CJ Bailey again the constant behind a retooled roster.
The trip was supposed to end in São Paulo
NC State plays its Week 0 opener this afternoon at Virginia in a stadium nobody involved actually expected to be playing in. The ACC had this one booked as a neutral-site game in São Paulo, Brazil, before logistical issues forced it back to the United States in June, just twelve weeks out from kickoff, per CBS Sports — so instead of a first trip to South America, the Wolfpack get a trip to Charlottesville. Dave Doeren has never lost to Virginia across four meetings as NC State's head coach, and he starts the clock on another season trying to keep that number intact.
CJ Bailey is back for a third year as the guy, coming off a 2025 in which he completed 68.8% of his throws for 3,105 yards and 25 touchdowns, per CBS Sports — but almost nobody who caught those passes is still around, with NC State having lost its top rusher and all four leading receivers off that team. Fall camp reps behind him went to backup Will Wilson, who reportedly took a real step over the offseason, and to newcomer Tad Hudson, a four-star addition to the room, though the job itself was never really in question, per 247Sports. The clearest sign of how settled it is: On3's Pete Nakos reported that Lex Thomas, who played four games at NC State across two seasons trying to win it, is now the starting quarterback at Western Carolina.
Everything you need to know in advance of the season opener tomorrow. NOTES & MORE 📰: t.co/ywzSTVZ3ED
How last season actually ended
Last season closed on an uneven note before it closed on a good one. NC State beat Georgia Tech 48-36 at home on November 1, then got run out of Hard Rock Stadium at Miami 41-7 two weeks later — the kind of result that makes a coach's fall camp longer.
The response was four wins in the final five: a 21-11 win over Florida State, a 42-19 finish against North Carolina, and a 31-7 win over Memphis on December 19 to close out last season on a three-game roll. That's the team CJ Bailey is trying to pick back up where it left off, minus most of the names who were on the field for it.
Recent News
Covers' aggregated injury table lists two names on NC State's side heading into Virginia. WR T. Copper is out with an undisclosed injury, no return window given, and RB Jonathan Paylor carries a knee designation and is Questionable, reported earlier this week — a doubt, not a ruling-out.
Doeren filled in the color on Paylor himself, telling reporters the back is "probably still not 100% yet" and that he's hoping to have him fully healthy by Weeks 2 through 4, calling him the fastest guy on the roster from a year ago when NC State didn't have him, per PackInsider. Elsewhere on the roster, On3's Pete Nakos reported NC State added CB Jamel Johnson back for what will be his fifth season, following a court ruling in Colorado that restored his eligibility.
On the other side of the ball, Virginia LB Kam Robinson's return from a torn ACL is a straight game-time call, as Kam Robinson's ACL Return Is a Game-Time Call vs. NC State covers — a preseason All-ACC pick the Wolfpack offense would rather not see across from them today.
Vegas isn't calling for a blowout in Charlottesville
Virginia opened as 5.5-point favorites with the total set at 53.5 — a middling number that doesn't read as either team's coaches expecting to run away with it. NC State goes in as the underdog on the road against a Virginia team that, like the Wolfpack, is 0-0 this season and finished last season with a 13-7 win at Missouri.
Kickoff is this afternoon at Virginia, and it's the earliest either program has opened a season in years thanks to the Brazil scramble. A win keeps Doeren's unbeaten streak against the Cavaliers alive; a loss means the Wolfpack spend the rest of Week 0 answering for it before Richmond even shows up on the schedule.