Thoughts on NC State not Releasing a Depth Chart for the Northern Illinois Game

Yesterday, NC State sent out their weekly Game Notes to the media, and for the first time this season they didn’t include a Depth Chart leading up to the game against Northern Illinois this Saturday. In fact, this marks the first time that the Wolfpack haven’t released a Depth Chart since the season opener in 2021 against South Florida.

Why did NC State not release a Depth Chart this week? I don’t have the answer to that question, but it’s absence speaks volumes.

At minimum, I would expect there to be changes to the Depth Chart this Saturday, and I expect new people to be in starting positions.

We already know that Senior Defensive End Red Hibbler won’t be on the 2-deep, because he is no longer on NC State’s roster. Hibbler has been listed as the 2nd string Right Defensive End all season. Redshirt Freshman Isaiah Shirley has been the #3 at that position, so I would expect him to move up, and even possibly compete for Redshirt Junior Travali Price’s starting position. Head Coach Dave Doeren spoke highly of Shirley in his weekly press conference yesterday, and alluded to the fact that more playing time was in his future.

Yeah, I think Isaiah Shirley did a really nice job. He did the same thing in the Tennessee game when we put him in in the second half, so he’s a guy that has shown that he’ll compete no matter what. He’s a guy that’s going to get more playing time because of that.

It’s obvious when you watch those two games. I thought he was very competitive when he went in there.

It was announced yesterday that Redshirt Senior Anthony Belton won’t be starting this week after being ejected from the Clemson game for spitting on a player. When Belton was ejected, Redshirt Sophomore Jacarrius Peak moved from Right Tackle to Left Tackle, Redshirt Senior Tim McKay moved from Right Guard to Right Tackle, and Redshirt Sophomore Val Erickson (Missouri Transfer) came in the game and filled the void at Right Guard.

Redshirt Sophomore Nose Tackle DJ Jackson left the game against Clemson with an injury, and Doeren mentioned yesterday that he doesn’t expect him to be able to play against NIU. As a result, Senior Chazz Wallace (Colorado transfer) is the next man up.

Also, Doeren mentioned yesterday that it was clear from the film that some guys were playing really hard, while others were not, and as a result, positions are being evaluated. He definitively stated that “positions are going to change.”

And when you watch the film, there’s several guys that are playing really hard, and there’s several guys that aren’t. And so, a lot of positions are being evaluated.

A lot of people are being challenged. It’s going to be a competitive week. There’s going to be positions that are going to change.

And that’s what competitive depth does. And so, guys have to understand the value and the honor that it is to be out there in the red and white. And it’s going to be a fun week of practice.

I’m excited about, going out, challenging guys, challenging each other, not throwing anyone away. Our job is to get players better and get them to play at a high level. And so far, we haven’t done that as well as we’d like, obviously, with a 2-2 record.

He did specifically state that they should be getting better production from their Strong Safety and Nickel positions. Senior Bishop Fitzgerald is the starter at the former, and Senior Ja’Had Carter is the starter at the latter.

This will be a week of intense competition in practice, because according to Doeren, every position, especially on defense, is a position battle. What is happening right now isn’t working, and as a result, everyone is under review.

In summary, there’s no depth chart this week, which means we should expect there to be a shake up in the starting lineup and the entire depth chart when the Wolfpack takes the field on Saturday to face Northern Illinois.