Projecting the Starting Offensive Line for NC State

Left Tackle - Jacarrius Peak, Redshirt Junior

Peak comes into the season with the highest expectations out of anyone on the unit. He found his stride on the right side in his redshirt sophomore campaign and learned a lot from Anthony Belton, who now plays for the Green Bay Packers. Now protecting the blind side, Peak knows how important his job, and the line's job as a collective, really is.

"Without us, the offense can't start. Whenever great plays and positive plays happen, we just use us five and motivate each other and celebrate with each other, knowing that because of us, that play happened," Peak said during fall camp.

Left Guard - Anthony Carter Jr., Graduate Student

As the most experienced returning offensive player on the roster, the burden of establishing the culture fell on Carter during the offseason. Based on his recent nomination as a team captain, he did his job representing the Wolfpack well.

"AC’s been here his whole college career. He hasn’t transferred or anything, so he’s put blood in the bricks here," center Jalen Grant said about his teammate "It was easy for him to have a voice on the team because he’s been here so long. Just the way he carries himself is the way you should."

The veteran is coming off a strong season in which he recorded 35 pancake blocks in 13 starts at left guard.

Center - Jalen Grant, Graduate Transfer

Fresh off a 1-11 season with Purdue, Grant is looking to get back to winning with NC State by any means necessary. The veteran lineman spent time with Bowling Green and Purdue before landing in Raleigh for one last chance.

"He has kind of a calming presence as a center, which I love," Doeren said about Grant.

Despite being pushed by talented freshman Spike Sowells, Doeren has historically opted for more experience on the line. Whether Grant can maintain his spot on the depth chart throughout the season remains to be seen, but expect him to be snapping the ball to Bailey in the season opener.

Right Guard - Val Erickson, Redshirt Junior

The right guard spot is a little bit more of a question mark for the Wolfpack than the other positions. Erickson gained some valuable experience across seven games and two starts in 2024, but never impressed. The redshirt junior transferred into NC State after spending the beginning of his collegiate career with Missouri.

This is a spot where Sowells could be inserted if things don't go well early in the season and Grant holds up at center. Once again, the bet is that Doeren will lean on experience early and give the true freshman more time to see what the college game looks like before throwing him in the fire.

Right Tackle - Teague Andersen, Redshirt Junior

Part of NC State's group of Mountain West transfers, Andersen quickly settled in as the team's starting right tackle. With 19 starts across two seasons with Utah State, the veteran should be an easy plug-and-play option for Doeren and Tujague in 2025.

"Andersen was a really good player at his last stop," Doeren said.

His durability was impressive at Utah State, as he played nearly 800 snaps in 2024 and had a 92-snap game against UNLV. Andersen and Peak have both stood out in camp, according to their teammates and each other.

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