Storylines to watch as NC State football opens camp Aug. 3

Welcome to August, everybody, there’s college football that counts later in this month! We’re almost there! NC State will open its fall camp on Friday with some areas already settled but plenty of questions still left to answer. Here are a few:

Is Reggie Gallaspy ready for a feature back role?

Gallaspy most likely will enter the season at RB1, and at times during his career he’s certainly looked capable of handling a significant workload—but he’s also been plagued by injuries. He missed the spring game in April because he was banged up, so the questions about his durability linger.

He can be an impact player if he stays healthy, and camp may give us an idea of how likely that is.

Who are the new impact players on the defensive line?

You may have heard that NC State lost a few defensive linemen to the NFL. I can confirm that this is true.

Darian Roseboro will be the veteran leader of this group off the edge and is a good bet for a career year since he’ll be getting more reps than he has in the past. James Smith-Williams is a breakout candidate at the other end spot, and defensive tackle Shug Frazier has earned some buzz during the offseason.

Which true freshmen look poised to make significant contributions?

An immediate transition from high school to college football is no easy thing, but NC State will no doubt have a few kids up to the challenge. Ricky Person will probably figure into the depth chart at running back. Alim McNeill is plenty talented enough to get regular snaps at defensive tackle. And we know Chris Dunn will be the placekicker.

But what about elsewhere? Peyton Wilson would have been a good candidate at linebacker but appears headed for a redshirt after suffering an injury setback during the offseason. How about Taiyon Palmer at corner? Will anyone other than McNeill emerge up front?