RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – With the start of college football looming in the coming weeks, North Carolina State is displaying quite the confidence heading into this season, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.
The Wolfpack defense has been a reliable unit, regularly closing out recent years in the top 30 nationwide in scoring and total defense.
However, N.C. State is looking to replace numerous starters from last year’s squad. The Wolfpack look to especially fill the void left by the departure of All-American linebacker Payton Wilson, who was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Entering his sixth season with the Wolfpack, defensive coordinator Tony Gibson has acquired tons of respect among coaching circles. His defense ranked fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 24th nationally in 2023, allowing only 20.2 points per game.
“Just with Tony Gibson being defensive coordinator, I feel like we’re always going to have a high-caliber defense,” N.C. State cornerback Aydan White said.
The No. 24-ranked Wolfpack looks to maintain the momentum and put away the narrative that the defense won’t be as effective as one year ago.
“That’s been a thing – no drop off,” said N.C. State linebacker Devon Betty. “We’re hearing it everywhere. We don’t get into social media. We kind of just prove it on the field. So y’all will see, there will be no drop off this year.”
As the season opener against Western Carolina quickly approaches, many with the Wolfpack faithful are already looking past this matchup, fixating their eyes on a potential statement game versus No. 15 Tennessee in the Duke’s Mayo Classic on Sept. 7 in Charlotte.
But the coaching staff and players don’t view the Catamounts as a tune-up game, which is why the Wolfpack are already hard at work prepping for their early-season opponent.
“It’s like treating them like every other team – expecting them to play hard, play fast,” Betty said. “They can still come here and whoop us if they come in here with the right mindset.”
N.C. State is set to host Western Carolina at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on Aug. 29. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.