Tuffy Talk

The Technician ran a piece headlined "don't let the Doeren hit you on the way out," twelve days before the season starts. Sub .500 in conference, no ACC Championship appearances, a losing bowl record.

Here is what that argument leaves out. Dave Doeren inherited a 2013 roster that gave up 35 points in a single quarter to Florida State. Take those eight losses off his record and he goes from a .48 coach to a .52 coach. And NC State has won ten games once in its entire history, with Philip Rivers and four non-conference cupcakes to do it.

Then the good news. Ven-Allen Lubin is back for a fifth year, and he did it by turning down Oklahoma and Will Wade at LSU. Wade said at his introductory press conference that he would find fifteen players in the portal. He is at four, and the two he chased hardest, Paul McNeil and Lubin, both said no while NC State was almost certainly not the highest bidder.

Ethan's Stat Pack digs into what Lubin actually needs to improve, which is not the offense. Torvik has NC State 26th nationally and fifth in the ACC, behind Duke, Virginia, Louisville and Miami, and that is before any step forward on defense.

Plus why the Wolfpack is a five and a half point underdog at Virginia, the new Fort Bragg partnership and the Wolfpack Warriors uniforms for the September 11 home opener, Jamel Johnson returning at corner, and a men's soccer team that might be the best program on campus.

11 days until NC State at Virginia.

Follow Tuffy Talk wherever you listen, and catch us live every Monday at 8:30 PM on YouTube.

Support the show on Patreon, 12 members-only NC State breakdowns a month for $5: patreon.com/c/tuffytalk

#ad Powered by Oconee Gold BBQ. Code TUFFYTALK for 15% off your entire order. oconeegoldbbqsauce.com

#NCState #GoPack #Wolfpack #TuffyTalk

Send us Fan Mail

Oconee Gold Small Batch BBQ Sauces & Rubs

Do you LOVE to barbecue? Our sponsor Oconee Gold makes small batch sauces and rubs down in Statham, Georgia, and they've won Flavor of Georgia twice. Use code TUFFYTALK for 15% off your ENTIRE order, every single time you order. #ad

Support the show

New episodes every week. Follow the show so you never miss one.

🐺 Support Tuffy Talk on Patreon and get 12 members-only NC State breakdowns every month for just $5:
👉 patreon.com/c/tuffytalk

Find Tuffy Talk on all major podcast platforms — Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, and more. Search "Tuffy Talk" wherever you listen.

Follow us everywhere:
Twitter/X: @tuffytalknow
Greg "The Leg" Haas: @PackFanInNOVA
Ethan Barry: @ncstatestats

#NCState #GoPack #Wolfpack #TuffyTalk

NC State has not had a 1,000 yard rusher since Reggie Gallaspy went for 1,091 in 2018. Duke Scott takes over the backfield this season, and Ethan and I could not disagree more about whether he gets there.

We ran seven season-long over/unders on this team and took opposite sides on the first three: CJ Bailey's passing yards, his touchdown total, and Scott at 1,000.

Then Ethan found the number that should worry you. NC State finished plus three in turnover margin last season, but recovered 14 of the 20 fumbles that hit the ground in their games. Seventy percent. His argument is that recovering fumbles is not a skill, it is luck, and that regresses toward 50, which flips the margin the other way.

Plus why Will Wilson has quietly taken every short yardage carry, and which receiver leads this rebuilt room in yards.

14 days until NC State at Virginia.

Follow Tuffy Talk wherever you listen, and catch us live every Monday at 8:30 PM on YouTube.

Support the show on Patreon, 12 members-only NC State breakdowns a month for $5: patreon.com/c/tuffytalk

#ad Powered by Oconee Gold BBQ. Code TUFFYTALK for 15% off your entire order.

#NCState #GoPack #Wolfpack #TuffyTalk

Send us Fan Mail

Oconee Gold Small Batch BBQ Sauces & Rubs

Do you LOVE to barbecue? Our sponsor Oconee Gold makes small batch sauces and rubs down in Statham, Georgia, and they've won Flavor of Georgia twice. Use code TUFFYTALK for 15% off your ENTIRE order, every single time you order. #ad

Support the show

New episodes every week. Follow the show so you never miss one.

🐺 Support Tuffy Talk on Patreon and get 12 members-only NC State breakdowns every month for just $5:
👉 patreon.com/c/tuffytalk

Find Tuffy Talk on all major podcast platforms — Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, and more. Search "Tuffy Talk" wherever you listen.

Follow us everywhere:
Twitter/X: @tuffytalknow
Greg "The Leg" Haas: @PackFanInNOVA
Ethan Barry: @ncstatestats

#NCState #GoPack #Wolfpack #TuffyTalk

NC State spent two weeks being told its defensive line was the scariest thing on the roster. Then a federal judge handed the Wolfpack its nose guard back, nineteen days before kickoff.

KaTron Evans is eligible and practicing. The NCAA denied his waiver, denied his appeal, and had him off the roster on July 28, one day before camp opened. He went to federal court and won a temporary restraining order. The catch: a TRO is temporary by definition, and there is another hearing on August 18.

Greg and I get into what Evans actually fixes on a defensive line that was leaning on a guy with 96 career snaps, Justin Gainey landing a kid NC State offered while he was completely unranked, Micah Handlogten and the portal-timing loophole, why nobody can stop Will Wilson on fourth down, and the tenth straight year NC State has put a player on the Freaks List.

18 days until NC State at Virginia.

Follow Tuffy Talk wherever you listen, and catch us live every Monday at 8:30 PM on YouTube.

Support the show on Patreon, 12 members-only NC State breakdowns a month for $5: patreon.com/c/tuffytalk

#ad Powered by Oconee Gold BBQ. Code TUFFYTALK for 15% off your entire order.

#NCState #GoPack #Wolfpack #TuffyTalk

Send us Fan Mail

Oconee Gold Small Batch BBQ Sauces & Rubs

Do you LOVE to barbecue? Our sponsor Oconee Gold makes small batch sauces and rubs down in Statham, Georgia, and they've won Flavor of Georgia twice. Use code TUFFYTALK for 15% off your ENTIRE order, every single time you order. #ad

Support the show

New episodes every week. Follow the show so you never miss one.

🐺 Support Tuffy Talk on Patreon and get 12 members-only NC State breakdowns every month for just $5:
👉 patreon.com/c/tuffytalk

Find Tuffy Talk on all major podcast platforms — Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, and more. Search "Tuffy Talk" wherever you listen.

Follow us everywhere:
Twitter/X: @tuffytalknow
Greg "The Leg" Haas: @PackFanInNOVA
Ethan Barry: @ncstatestats

#NCState #GoPack #Wolfpack #TuffyTalk

Part 2 of this conversation is on Patreon.

For 30 years, NC State baseball meant Elliott Avent. Now it's Chris Hart's program — and he just spoke to the media for the first time since taking over.

Ethan and Greg break down what he said, and the answer that caught them both off guard. Asked what he'd do differently, Hart didn't talk about pulling pitchers or building a lineup. He talked about expectations — specifically about coming from Florida State, where getting to Omaha wasn't a goal you chased, it was the floor. He told a story about Texas beating the Seminoles and nobody celebrating the season, because Omaha had been the assumption all along. He wants that standard in Raleigh.

Along the way: whether winning the ACC should be a real goal or an afterthought, why fans may have been souring on Avent after three decades, what playing to your personnel actually looks like for this roster, and the stolen base problem that drives Greg crazy. Rhett Johnson went 7-for-9 on the bases for USA Baseball this summer. He had 14 steals all season at NC State.

Plus what it signals that NC State promoted from inside the building instead of hiring away from it.

Part 2 is on Patreon — coaching staff roles, the roster, and where we think this team actually lands. $5 a month gets you that plus 11 more breakdowns:
patreon.com/c/tuffytalk

New episodes every week — follow so you never miss one.

Follow us:
Twitter/X: @tuffytalknow
Greg "The Leg" Haas: @PackFanInNOVA
Ethan Barry: @ncstatestats

#NCState #GoPack #Wolfpack #TuffyTalk #NCStateBaseball

Send us Fan Mail

Oconee Gold Small Batch BBQ Sauces & Rubs

Do you LOVE to barbecue? Our sponsor Oconee Gold makes small batch sauces and rubs down in Statham, Georgia, and they've won Flavor of Georgia twice. Use code TUFFYTALK for 15% off your ENTIRE order, every single time you order. #ad

Support the show

New episodes every week. Follow the show so you never miss one.

🐺 Support Tuffy Talk on Patreon and get 12 members-only NC State breakdowns every month for just $5:
👉 patreon.com/c/tuffytalk

Find Tuffy Talk on all major podcast platforms — Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, and more. Search "Tuffy Talk" wherever you listen.

Follow us everywhere:
Twitter/X: @tuffytalknow
Greg "The Leg" Haas: @PackFanInNOVA
Ethan Barry: @ncstatestats

#NCState #GoPack #Wolfpack #TuffyTalk

We got asked to submit our top 5 NC State football players of all time. The list got rejected, because Philip Rivers wasn't on it.

Layton stands by it anyway: Ted Brown, Torry Holt, Bradley Chubb, Mario Williams, Adrian Wilson. Greg argues you cannot build a top 5 without a quarterback, and brings his own list. Ethan watches the two of them go at it.

Before that: a federal judge just granted an entire class of athletes a fifth year of eligibility, and three former Wolfpack basketball players are caught in the middle, with Ven-Allen Lubin looking like the most likely to return. Plus whether a player who transfers away still counts as one of ours, and a response to the writer who called NC State's defensive line the thinnest he can remember.

25 days until NC State opens at Virginia.

New episodes every week — follow so you never miss one.

Support Tuffy Talk on Patreon: 12 members-only NC State breakdowns a month for $5 — patreon.com/c/tuffytalk

Follow us:
Twitter/X: @tuffytalknow
Greg "The Leg" Haas: @PackFanInNOVA
Ethan Barry: @ncstatestats

#NCState #GoPack #Wolfpack #TuffyTalk

Send us Fan Mail

Oconee Gold Small Batch BBQ Sauces & Rubs

Do you LOVE to barbecue? Our sponsor Oconee Gold makes small batch sauces and rubs down in Statham, Georgia, and they've won Flavor of Georgia twice. Use code TUFFYTALK for 15% off your ENTIRE order, every single time you order. #ad

Support the show

New episodes every week. Follow the show so you never miss one.

🐺 Support Tuffy Talk on Patreon and get 12 members-only NC State breakdowns every month for just $5:
👉 patreon.com/c/tuffytalk

Find Tuffy Talk on all major podcast platforms — Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, and more. Search "Tuffy Talk" wherever you listen.

Follow us everywhere:
Twitter/X: @tuffytalknow
Greg "The Leg" Haas: @PackFanInNOVA
Ethan Barry: @ncstatestats

#NCState #GoPack #Wolfpack #TuffyTalk

NC State's offense returns 62% of its production. The defense returns 46%. Layton and Ethan go position by position through the 2026 Wolfpack defense — every projected starter, all five defensive transfers, and whether a rebuilt unit is a downgrade or an upgrade.

KaTron Evans is suing the NCAA after his waiver was denied a day before camp. Harvey Dyson arrives from Tulane to carry a pass rush that generated only 20 sacks last season — and Ethan digs into why that number should have been much higher. Josiah Victor has 96 career snaps and might be the most important player on the roster.

By the end, the two of us flatly disagree on how good this defense can be.

Part 2 of our 2026 preview series. Full season predictions coming next.

New episodes every week — follow so you never miss one.

Support Tuffy Talk on Patreon: 12 members-only NC State breakdowns a month for $5 — patreon.com/c/tuffytalk

Follow us:
Twitter/X: @tuffytalknow
Greg "The Leg" Haas: @PackFanInNOVA
Ethan Barry: @ncstatestats

#NCState #GoPack #Wolfpack #TuffyTalk

Send us Fan Mail

Oconee Gold Small Batch BBQ Sauces & Rubs

Do you LOVE to barbecue? Our sponsor Oconee Gold makes small batch sauces and rubs down in Statham, Georgia, and they've won Flavor of Georgia twice. Use code TUFFYTALK for 15% off your ENTIRE order, every single time you order. #ad

Support the show

New episodes every week. Follow the show so you never miss one.

🐺 Support Tuffy Talk on Patreon and get 12 members-only NC State breakdowns every month for just $5:
👉 patreon.com/c/tuffytalk

Find Tuffy Talk on all major podcast platforms — Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, and more. Search "Tuffy Talk" wherever you listen.

Follow us everywhere:
Twitter/X: @tuffytalknow
Greg "The Leg" Haas: @PackFanInNOVA
Ethan Barry: @ncstatestats

#NCState #GoPack #Wolfpack #TuffyTalk

We said Chris Dunn is the greatest kicker in NC State history, some of you were furious, so we settled a bigger question: at how many positions does NC State actually have an UNDISPUTED GOAT? Ethan, Greg, Macon and Layton go position by position — and only three names survive.

Before the debate: Jacoby Brissett's new deal with Arizona, worth up to $21 million. UNC's general manager getting put on paid administrative leave five weeks before kickoff. And the three defensive transfers who could swing NC State's season.

Then Ethan closes with the question nobody's ready for — with four-star Gunner Rivers, Philip's son, on the way, who's actually NC State's starting quarterback a year from now?

The three undisputed GOATs, the one that got away, and a whole lot of arguing in between.

New episodes every week — follow so you never miss one.

Support Tuffy Talk on Patreon: 12 members-only NC State breakdowns a month for $5 — patreon.com/c/tuffytalk

Follow us:
Twitter/X: @tuffytalknow
Greg "The Leg" Haas: @PackFanInNOVA
Ethan Barry: @ncstatestats

#NCState #GoPack #Wolfpack #TuffyTalk

Send us Fan Mail

Oconee Gold Small Batch BBQ Sauces & Rubs

Do you LOVE to barbecue? Our sponsor Oconee Gold makes small batch sauces and rubs down in Statham, Georgia, and they've won Flavor of Georgia twice. Use code TUFFYTALK for 15% off your ENTIRE order, every single time you order. #ad

Support the show

New episodes every week. Follow the show so you never miss one.

🐺 Support Tuffy Talk on Patreon and get 12 members-only NC State breakdowns every month for just $5:
👉 patreon.com/c/tuffytalk

Find Tuffy Talk on all major podcast platforms — Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, and more. Search "Tuffy Talk" wherever you listen.

Follow us everywhere:
Twitter/X: @tuffytalknow
Greg "The Leg" Haas: @PackFanInNOVA
Ethan Barry: @ncstatestats

#NCState #GoPack #Wolfpack #TuffyTalk

NC State football averaged 30.2 points a game last season. It also scored seven points. Twice. Layton and Ethan break down every position group on the 2026 offense and try to work out which of those numbers is the real team.

CJ Bailey enters year three after 3,105 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Ethan's verdict: they've gone all in on him, and it's his show now. Whether that works comes down to two things — and the hosts don't agree on which matters more.

Also: why Doeren attempted only nine field goals all season, whether Duke Scott gets to 1,000 yards for the first time since 2018, who actually becomes Bailey's number one receiver, and why losing Jai'Lun Hampton on the offensive line hurts more than it first looked.

Part one of six. Defense preview next week.

New episodes every week. Follow the show so you never miss one.

Support Tuffy Talk on Patreon and get 12 members-only NC State breakdowns every month for just $5: patreon.com/c/tuffytalk

Find Tuffy Talk on all major podcast platforms — Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, and more. Search "Tuffy Talk" wherever you listen.

Follow us everywhere:
Twitter/X: @tuffytalknow
Greg "The Leg" Haas: @PackFanInNOVA
Ethan Barry: @ncstatestats

#NCState #GoPack #Wolfpack #TuffyTalk

Send us Fan Mail

Oconee Gold Small Batch BBQ Sauces & Rubs

Do you LOVE to barbecue? Our sponsor Oconee Gold makes small batch sauces and rubs down in Statham, Georgia, and they've won Flavor of Georgia twice. Use code TUFFYTALK for 15% off your ENTIRE order, every single time you order. #ad

Support the show

New episodes every week. Follow the show so you never miss one.

🐺 Support Tuffy Talk on Patreon and get 12 members-only NC State breakdowns every month for just $5:
👉 patreon.com/c/tuffytalk

Find Tuffy Talk on all major podcast platforms — Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, and more. Search "Tuffy Talk" wherever you listen.

Follow us everywhere:
Twitter/X: @tuffytalknow
Greg "The Leg" Haas: @PackFanInNOVA
Ethan Barry: @ncstatestats

#NCState #GoPack #Wolfpack #TuffyTalk

Dave Doeren said CJ Bailey could be one of the five best quarterbacks in the country. Ethan isn't buying it, and he brought the numbers.

Layton, Greg, and Ethan react to everything out of ACC Kickoff 2026 for NC State football: Doeren's "sick of being second" comment and the version of him nobody has seen before, Bailey's claim that he's the alpha leader this team needs, Isaiah Shirley's national community honor, and Dabo Swinney's argument that stopping tampering will take an act of Congress.

All three hosts lock in an X-factor for NC State to win the ACC title — on record, come back in December and hold them to it. Ethan's Stat Pack digs into how much offensive production is actually returning, and the number caught everyone off guard. Plus the UNC revenue figures that started a genuine argument on air, and the eligibility ruling that cost the Wolfpack an offensive tackle 40 days before kickoff.

This episode was originally recorded live on July 20, 2026.

New episodes every week. Follow the show so you never miss one.

Support Tuffy Talk on Patreon and get 12 members-only NC State breakdowns every month for just $5: patreon.com/c/tuffytalk

Find Tuffy Talk on all major podcast platforms — Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, and more. Search "Tuffy Talk" wherever you listen.

Follow us everywhere:
Twitter/X: @tuffytalknow
Greg "The Leg" Haas: @PackFanInNOVA
Ethan Barry: @ncstatestats

#NCState #GoPack #Wolfpack #TuffyTalk

Send us Fan Mail

Oconee Gold Small Batch BBQ Sauces & Rubs

Do you LOVE to barbecue? Our sponsor Oconee Gold makes small batch sauces and rubs down in Statham, Georgia, and they've won Flavor of Georgia twice. Use code TUFFYTALK for 15% off your ENTIRE order, every single time you order. #ad

Support the show

New episodes every week. Follow the show so you never miss one.

🐺 Support Tuffy Talk on Patreon and get 12 members-only NC State breakdowns every month for just $5:
👉 patreon.com/c/tuffytalk

Find Tuffy Talk on all major podcast platforms — Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, and more. Search "Tuffy Talk" wherever you listen.

Follow us everywhere:
Twitter/X: @tuffytalknow
Greg "The Leg" Haas: @PackFanInNOVA
Ethan Barry: @ncstatestats

#NCState #GoPack #Wolfpack #TuffyTalk

Greg and Ethan break down the most underrated and slept on NC State players across every sport, the athletes who outperformed their roster billing and gave the Wolfpack more than anyone expected in 2025-26.

Football: was the offensive line NC State's most overlooked unit? CJ Bailey's value relative to his contract gets debated. Basketball: Quadir Copeland, now signed with the Houston Rockets on a two-way deal, leads the list, with Paul McNeil's loyalty and production right behind him. Does NC State basketball need NBA-level talent to compete in the ACC? Greg and Ethan go back and forth. Baseball: Rhett Johnson's 28-game hitting streak and historic freshman season make him the unanimous choice, with Sherman Johnson, Ty Head, and Chris McHugh rounding out the conversation.

Plus: a closing debate on the NC State women's cross country dynasty and whether Laurie Henes can sustain it without Katelyn Tuohy.

New episodes every week. Follow the show so you never miss one.

🐺 Support Tuffy Talk on Patreon and get 12 members-only NC State breakdowns every month for just $5:
👉 patreon.com/c/tuffytalk

Find Tuffy Talk on all major podcast platforms — Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, and more. Search "Tuffy Talk" wherever you listen.

Follow us everywhere:
Twitter/X: @tuffytalknow
Greg "The Leg" Haas: @PackFanInNOVA
Ethan Barry: @ncstatestats

#NCState #GoPack #Wolfpack #TuffyTalk

Send us Fan Mail

Oconee Gold Small Batch BBQ Sauces & Rubs

Do you LOVE to barbecue? Our sponsor Oconee Gold makes small batch sauces and rubs down in Statham, Georgia, and they've won Flavor of Georgia twice. Use code TUFFYTALK for 15% off your ENTIRE order, every single time you order. #ad

Support the show

New episodes every week. Follow the show so you never miss one.

🐺 Support Tuffy Talk on Patreon and get 12 members-only NC State breakdowns every month for just $5:
👉 patreon.com/c/tuffytalk

Find Tuffy Talk on all major podcast platforms — Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, and more. Search "Tuffy Talk" wherever you listen.

Follow us everywhere:
Twitter/X: @tuffytalknow
Greg "The Leg" Haas: @PackFanInNOVA
Ethan Barry: @ncstatestats

#NCState #GoPack #Wolfpack #TuffyTalk