RALEIGH — Kurt Roper is heading into his second season as the offensive coordinator for NC State under head coach Dave Doeren, but he’s no stranger to the role. What is different for Roper is the changing landscape of college football, which contributed to the Wolfpack’s 20 new additions out of the transfer portal.
A major part of the success NC State has in 2026 depends on the chemistry and integration of those transfers, especially on the offensive side of the ball. With star quarterback CJ Bailey back, it’s Roper’s job to get those transfers caught up with the signal caller. So far, things are going well in spring practices, at least from Roper’s point of view.
Watch Roper talk NC State spring football
Bringing transfers up to speed
12 of NC State’s 20 adds from the transfer portal are offensive players, including five new pass catchers. For Roper, that’s a lot of teaching, but many of the new members of the team are either experienced or played for Power Conference programs in a limited capacity over their first couple of seasons in the sport.
“The game is different now,” Roper said. “At the end of the year, there’s changes in a lot of rosters in college football. So, when you get out here and you get to go full-speed on the football field, you’re seeing guys really play for the first time that you’ve got to integrate into your system, into your offense and figure out who you’ve got to make plays for you.”
A major part of the portal strategy was to bring players in who had existing chemistry with Bailey, whether that was from playing with him in high school in the Miami metropolitan area or against him when they were growing up. Now, Roper and Doeren are seeing some of those connections come to fruition on the NC State practice fields…