Clemson Football: Most overrated and underrated ‘way too early’ teams in the ACC

Underrated: NC State Wolfpack

Going into the 2022 season, NC State was the ACC team getting all the hype. They returned quarterback Devin Leary, who was a preseason favorite to win the ACC Player of the Year award. They had multiple wide receivers for Leary and a legitimately stout defense. They were a darling of the ‘way too early’ crowd.

Unfortunately for Wolfpack Nation, 2022 didn’t turn out to be much different than most any year. State failed to live up to expectations in Death Valley against the Tigers, and shortly after Leary went down with a season-ending injury. While backup MJ Morris and Ben Finley played well at times, the result was an 8-5 overall record, and 4-4 in the conference, tied with Syracuse and Louisville in the Atlantic Division.

Leary has transferred to Kentucky. Wide Receiver Devin Carter has transferred to Penn State.  Wide receiver Thayer Thomas has exhausted his eligibility. Linebackers Isiah Moore and Drake Thomas are entering the draft.

As a result, expectations have been tempered for the Wolfpack. Perhaps too much.

Linebacker Payton Wilson elected to return for 2023, a big boost for their defense akin to Tyler Davis’s return for the Clemson defense. NC State added a couple of offensive linemen to improve a group that will be blocking for experienced running backs Jordan Houston and Demie Sumo-Karngbaye.

The biggest upgrades that are flying beneath the radar? State has brought in Robert Anae to run their offense after their last coordinator left for a head coaching job. Anae is an upgrade. He was successful at Virginia and Syracuse before joining the Wolfpack.

The Pack then added Brennan Armstrong, a transfer from Virginia. His addition is similar to Jurkovec’s transfer to Pitt. Armstrong had a great season in 2021 when Anae was the offensive coordinator for the Cavaliers. After Anae left for Syracuse, Armstrong’s production fell off a cliff in 2022.

Anae is the real deal as a coordinator. The improvement in the Orange offense last year made that clear. Much like Jurkovec reuniting with Cignetti, Armstrong’s reunion with Anae should produce results, and the overall talent in Raleigh exceeds what Armstrong had around him in Charlottesville, even after the Pack’s departures from 2022.

NC State is out of sight, out of mind for a lot of college football observers, but if they can get the same kind of production from Anae and Armstrong that Virginia got in 2021, the Wolfpack will be in good shape. They will need to identify who will lead the way at receiver, so they don’t belong in the top tier of the conference yet, but they aren’t as far off as many think.