The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545830
JULY/AUGUST 2026 ■ 13 TRACKING THE PACK NC State coach Dave Doeren tabbed longtime assistant Kurt Roper as his new offensive coordinator ahead of the 2025 season. Roper returned to a role he had filled on three other coaching staffs, begin- ning at Duke in 2008, so he was comfortable being the one calling plays from the press box level once again. He had previously been NC State's quarterbacks coach, helping recruit and tutor current ju- nior signal-caller CJ Bailey. In his first season overseeing the offense, the Wolfpack posted its highest average scoring output (30.2 points per game) since 2021 (33.1). NC State scored on 90.9 percent of drives that reached the red zone. With Bailey returning for his third season as starter, sophomore Will Wilson having gained experience last year and senior Tad Hud- son transferring in from Coastal Carolina, the Pack looks strong at the game's most crucial position, prompting optimism for the up- coming season. Here are the highlights of a recent Q&A with Roper ahead of the 2026 campaign. What's it like having an experienced quarterback room going into this season? "Experience is the best teacher you can have. With CJ going into his third year of starting, the conversations just flow so much easier. He can see everything in his mind's eye. He's to the point where we're speaking the same language pretty consistently. "And with Will going into his second season with real reps under his belt, it's not his first rodeo. We've been able to spend a bunch of time together. We're all speaking the same language. Then, when you get a guy like Tad coming into your room that has played high- level football, it helps you out in a lot of different ways." How would you evaluate calling plays last season for the first time since 2017 when you were at South Carolina? "I don't know that I've sat and just evaluated it. It had been a while, but I've done it so much in my career that once I got back into the day-to-day of putting practice scripts together and calling it, then it came back pretty easy. "I think the biggest thing where I was fortunate was to learn some good football from coaches like Tim Beck and Robert Anae. I was able to grow some ideas and thoughts and adjust to today's game. It's a different game. Every year, this game changes a little bit, and you've got to adjust. While I'm still running the same system, it's got more variables to it." Was there anything you liked about what your unit was able to do last year that you want to build on this season? "You always want to be multiple. You've got to be able to run and throw the ball. I don't think you can be a one-dimensional group. When you look at last year, we had a guy who threw for over 3,000 yards and we had the leading rusher in the conference. Hopefully, that makes us a challenge to prepare for and play against. I'd like to stay in that world where you've got to defend the run and the pass with us." How helpful is having a balanced offensive attack in your job? "You've got to have both. I think it's a necessity. To help a quarter- back, you've got to be able to run the football. To help the offensive line, you've got to let them come off the ball physically, at times. It can't always be going back. "To create explosive plays and threaten the defense downfield, you've got to be able to throw the ball, right? Having the talent we've had, we've had the ability to do all those things. Hopefully, we're able to do it again this year." Where do you hope the offense can grow this season? "At the end of the day, our responsibility is to score more points than the opponent. We were one of the top red zone scoring teams in the country. If we can improve a little bit more on third downs and stay on the field, we can hopefully increase our point totals. That's what this game gets down to, scoring more points." — Noah Fleischman SITTING DOWN WITH: Football Offensive Coordinator Kurt Roper NC State averaged 30.2 points per game in Roper's first season as offensive coordinator, ranking eighth in the ACC. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS " When you look at last year, we had a guy who threw for over 3,000 yards and we had the leading rusher in the conference. … I'd like to stay in that world where you've got to defend the run and the pass with us."