Wolfpack OC Kurt Roper Adjusts to New Role

No Need For Training Wheels

After a few days to marinate on the offense's debut performance, Roper spoke to the media about the ECU game. He was asked if he had any pregame nerves before calling a game for the first time since 2017.

"I think you're always excited and anxious," Roper said. "You hear players talk about it all the time, as soon as the game starts, all that's gone."

Roper was happy to get the opportunity to call plays again, but reiterated he's not new to the experience.

Working With Bailey

After serving as the team's quarterbacks coach last season, Roper was promoted by NC State head coach Dave Doeren to the coordinator position. His relationship with rising sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey was a major reason why. In 2024, Roper sat with Bailey after nearly every drive, dissecting the quarterback's decisions before sending him back into the fray. The setup is different in 2025.

"I'm talking to him through his headset the whole drive, so that communication is the same," Roper said. "The difference is in between series and see each other face-to-face. Matt Sims is doing that for me now and he does a great job."

With that year of experience working together already in the bag, Roper clearly has the support of his young quarterback as well.

"(Roper) is a smart guy. He's taught me a lot of great plays ..." Bailey said after the ECU game. "He's pushing the pace and he's pushing the tempo. He's not just one of those laidback guys. He understands the situations and he calls the right plays at the right times in the right moments."

Eye In the Sky

Coaches have different philosophies about calling games from the field or the booth. As a position coach, Roper preferred to be on the field. In his new role, being the eye in the sky is more important to him.

"I learned from Cut (former Duke head coach David Cutcliffe) a long time ago, you can just see so much better," Roper said. "I haven't called it from on the field. I've called scrimmages from on the field and you just don't see as well."

Even though he prefers calling games from above, Roper understands there are some aspects of the game he can't have the same grasp of.

"What you lose being in the box is the emotions of the game, the intensity of the game," Roper said, "The look in a player's eyes. Is he feeling good right now? Is he not feeling good? Do I need to bring him back? Is it confidence? Is it correcting something? Those things you miss."

As Bailey stated after the game, there was a large emphasis in the offseason to improve the team's ability to produce explosive plays. In Roper's first game as the offensive coordinator, Bailey pushed the ball downfield more than ever before and finished with over 300 yards passing for just the third time in his career.

The Wolfpack's second-half performance became cause for concern amongst some fans and analysts, but Roper's tenure is still very much in its infancy. With film to work with and a better feel for his players in game situations, the coordinator now has the building blocks to create a far more productive offense than the one the Wolfpack fielded in 2024. The next challenge comes Saturday with Virginia visiting Carter-Finley Stadium.