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

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

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

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