NC State’s plans for the spring transfer portal window

By Noah Fleischman

NC State’s spring practice slate ended nearly two weeks ago. Now, the program is preparing for the spring transfer portal window, which is set to open Wednesday and run through April 25. 

The Wolfpack already has two current players — senior wide receiver Dacari Collins and junior running back Kendrick Raphael — in line to submit their paperwork to depart the program. The two announced their intentions over the past couple of days, a possible signal of how spring practice truly went. 

NC State was secretive about its spring practices, declining to open any media viewing periods, and it held its spring game behind locked gates at Carter-Finley Stadium. But the recent transfer portal moves, both in and out of the program, are clues to how some positional competitions went. 

Raphael was expected to battle redshirt freshman Duke Scott for the team’s primary backup running back spot behind starter Hollywood Smothers. Scott received high praise from Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren when he signed in Dec. 2023 — believing he would have played during the team’s injury-riddled 2023 campaign — so it’s not a surprise that he appears to have worked his way up the depth chart. 

Collins, meanwhile, played at outside receiver for most of his two years in Raleigh until the Wolfpack’s Military Bowl appearance. In that postseason game, Collins ended up in the slot for most of the game. Now, it seems like he was passed up in both spots on the depth chart. Former Wake Forest transfer Wesley Grimes, and sophomores Keenan Jackson and Terrell Anderson are likely candidates to start between those two spots. 

Let’s take a look at NC State’s needs in the portal. 

Running back likely a priority

With Raphael’s exit, NC State seems thin at running back going into fall camp. The Wolfpack currently has four scholarship players in the position group with Smothers being the only one to have logged meaningful carries at the collegiate level. 

While the Pack is high on Scott and incoming freshman Deandre Desinor, NC State could opt to look for a veteran running back to add depth to the position. Smothers will be the workhorse after he ran for 571 yards with six touchdowns on just 89 carries a year ago, but if he were to go down, the Wolfpack could be in a concerning situation in the backfield. 

Running back isn’t the easiest position to fill in the spring portal since there will be a decent amount of demand around the country, but it does play in the Wolfpack’s favor that it isn’t looking for a starter. Instead, finding a depth running back that’s okay with being the third option in the backfield is a likely scenario for the Wolfpack’s coaching staff. 

A tailback with proven production in college is the ideal candidate. It would probably be a Group of Five or even FCS player that is willing to take a supporting role at NC State. 

EDGE was going to be — until the Pack took care of it

Looking to add at EDGE would have been a key part of NC State’s spring transfer portal plans, but it didn’t wait for the window to open. Instead, the Wolfpack pounced on a pair of graduate transfer edge rushers the day after the spring game. Utah State’s Cian Slone and Wyoming’s Sabastian Harsh committed after an official visit. 

NC State is looking to switch to a four-man front in defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot’s scheme this fall, and adding depth at EDGE rusher was crucial in setting that up for fall camp. 

Slone and Harsh are both proven players that have the capability of becoming key pieces of the defense in fall camp. They won’t be handed a starting job, but both are more than capable of earning one or at least playing in a rotational role for their final seasons of eligibility. 

In addition to the pair, NC State also added a linebacker in Northwestern transfer Kenny Soares Jr. that same weekend. It’s likely those three were the biggest pieces the Wolfpack was looking to add this spring, but that could change if there’s a fit that goes into the portal in the next 10 days.

What’s the scholarship situation looking like?

NC State is currently over the scholarship cap of 85 with two extra players going into the spring portal window. It will likely go under it again with portal departures, but it’s also worth tracking the House settlement, which would increase the football cap to 105 scholarships, if approved. 

With exits, likely more than two, NC State will have some room to operate in the transfer portal to bolster its roster for the fall. If it does have a few extra spots to fill after grabbing a running back, the Pack could look to add to the secondary if the right portal prospect appears.

You can find the entire scholarship chart HERE.