NC State had 3 Players Opt Out of the Military Bowl

When NC State took the field on Saturday to play ECU in the Military Bowl, the Wolfpack had three starters opt out of the game to stay healthy as they prepare for the 2025 NFL Draft: Left Tackle Anthony Belton, Right Guard Timothy Mckay, and Defensive End Davin Vann.

With Belton and McKay out, NC State had to rework their Offensive Line, inserting two young starters.

Redshirt Sophomore Jacarrius Peak, who started all 12 regular season games at Right Tackle, moved over to Left Tackle to fill Belton’s spot. Peak had been the Wolfpack’s starter at Right Tackle all season.

With Peak moving to Left Tackle, Redshirt Sophomore Val Erickson, who had played in 6 games primarily as a reserve (1 start) at Offensive Guard, stepped in at Right Tackle. Before the Military Bowl, Erickson had only played in 58 snaps all season.

With McKay out, Redshirt Freshman Kamen Smith was the next man up, despite not being listed as a backup on the Depth Chart at either Guard position. Before Saturday, Smith had only seen action in 1 game in 2024, playing in 23 snaps as a reserve at Right Guard against Stanford.

Smith and Erickson struggled mightily against the Pirates, posting PFF grades of 50.9 and 54.2 respectively. I don’t fault them…they were thrown into the fire. With that being said, with Belton and McKay opting out, the right side of the Wolfpack’s offensive line was an open lane for ECU’s defense.

With Vann out at Defensive End, Redshirt Senior Noah Potter started in his place. Unfortunately, according to PFF, he had the second-lowest grade on the Wolfpack defense (44.6).

Obviously, Belton, McKay, and Vann can opt out of a Bowl Game to protect their prospective NFL futures. From my perspective, if you’re projected to be drafted in the first round or two, opting out makes more sense. The only player of the three guaranteed to be drafted is Belton, who is projected to be taken in the first three rounds. Vann could be a Day 3 pick because I think he will thrive at the NFL Combine (if invited), but I could also see him being an undrafted free agent. I would be utterly shocked if McKay is drafted.

Most every bowl game this season has had opt-outs. It’s part of the game now, for better or for worse. Sure, I know that there are so many bowls now, and with the transfer portal gutting rosters before bowl games, the significance of bowl games, in general, has waned. With that being said, I’m probably old school, but I like to see players finish the season they started with their team.

When I see Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders (who are both going to be 1st round picks) play in Colorado’s bowl game, it makes it a little harder to swallow watching Belton, Vann and McKay opt out. The three of them suiting up very likely could have turned an L into a W for NC State.

To be clear, I’m appreciative of the Wolfpack trio, and wish them nothing but the best.