A recent poll conducted by The Fayetteville Observer in partnership with the USA TODAY Network has revealed that Wolfpack supporters anticipate a 9‑3 record for the 2026 season, a projection that aligns with the team’s ambition to climb beyond its 8‑5 finish in 2025.
The same survey places quarterback CJ Bailey at the center of the MVP conversation, with fans indicating an 85 percent likelihood that his 69 percent completion rate, 3,105 passing yards and 25 touchdowns will earn him the bulk of the votes.
Among the newcomers, edge rusher Harvey Dyson has emerged as the most anticipated addition, earning 41.4 percent of the vote for top newcomer after a season that saw him record 11.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks at Tulane.
Safety King Mack, a Penn State transfer who started eight of 13 games for the Nittany Lions before injury setbacks, is expected to fortify a secondary that struggled with injuries in 2025, bringing experience and depth to the Wolfpack’s defensive backfield.
Key Player Impact
Dyson’s pass‑rushing prowess and Mack’s secondary revival are seen as the linchpins of a defense that finished the previous season with a modest sack total, while Bailey’s precision passing provides the offensive spark needed to sustain drives.
The team’s schedule, ranked 66th in ESPN’s strength‑of‑schedule metric, features pivotal matchups against Virginia, Vanderbilt and Louisville, games that could determine whether the Wolfpack reaches the double‑digit win threshold that has eluded the program since the historic 2002 squad.
Historical context adds urgency: the 2002 Wolfpack remain the only North Carolina State team to achieve an 11‑win season, and the current roster, bolstered by 50 newcomers alongside returning stars Duke Scott and Isaiah Shirley, hopes to rewrite that narrative.