With NC State kicking off its 2017 football campaign this weekend in Charlotte against South Carolina, here is a look at how the Wolfpack offense will shape up this season:

Offensive line

The Wolfpack should have no trouble winning the battle in the trenches on either side of the ball, and the offensive line should not be overshadowed by the big men up front on defense who have been receiving much of the national media attention. State returns four starters from last season’s O-line that led the way for Matt Dayes to rush for 1,166 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Senior guard Tony Adams, along with redshirt junior tackle Tyler Jones, redshirt junior guard Garrett Bradbury and redshirt junior tackle Will Richardson are the returners for the Pack, while graduate center Joe Scelfo is the one departure up front. The quartet of returning starters has a combined 86 career starts, led by Adams’ 35, which leads the entire roster.

The unit allowed only 17 sacks in 13 games last year and should be even better this season with more experience under its belt. The Pack has a number of strong options to replace Scelfo, including redshirt junior guard Terronne Prescod who started three games in place of Richardson last season.

Any success that the Wolfpack will muster on offense this season will start with this unit, and it should prove to be the most useful weapon State has on the offensive side of the ball.

Quarterback

Unlike the start of the 2016 season, there is no question who will be leading the NC State offense this year. Redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Finley will be the man behind center for the Pack, and should look to build on a solid first year in the program. Last year, Finley threw for 3,055 yards and 18 touchdowns, while having a completion percentage of 60.4 percent.

Finley has a great relationship with his offensive coordinator Eliah Drinkwitz, as the two were together at Boise State University before coming to Raleigh. This relationship should continue to grow, and another year in the program should see Finley continue to improve as well. Behind Finley is redshirt junior quarterback Jalan McClendon, who will also likely see time at running back and wide receiver this season.

Running backs

The biggest question mark of the NC State offense comes at running back, as the Pack will be tasked with replacing the 1,000-yard rusher Dayes. Junior running back Reggie Gallaspy II will likely be the main man to try to do this, as he was the Pack’s second-leading rusher with 234 yards last season.

Along with Gallaspy, versatile playmakers senior all-purpose Jaylen Samuels and junior running back Nyheim Hines will likely also carry some of the load in the backfield. Samuels rushed for 189 yards last season, but was second on the team in rushing touchdowns with six. Hines carried the ball 13 times for 44 yards in 2016, but should be even more of a factor in the rushing game this season.

Replacing Dayes will be no easy task, but the Pack has the benefit of being able to attempt to do so by committee. Samuels, Hines and Gallaspy, along with the aforementioned McClendon, should be able to run well enough behind the strong offensive line to keep the Pack competitive on offense.

Wide receivers

The wide receiving core for NC State is another major strength, as the Pack returns its three leading receivers and five of its top seven from last season. Redshirt junior wide receiver Stephen Louis led State with 678 receiving yards last year. Samuels and Hines, while not technically receivers, finished second and third, respectively, in receiving yards and should be a major threat for Finley to throw to again.

Samuels also led the team with seven receiving touchdowns, followed by another returner in sophomore wide receiver Kelvin Harmon, who had five. Another key returner for the Wolfpack will be graduate student wide receiver JuMichael Ramos. Ramos missed the entirety of the 2016 season with a knee injury, but was the Pack’s leading receiver with 34 receptions in 2015.

The only major departing piece of State’s wide receiving unit is Bra’Lon Cherry, who had 434 yards and three touchdowns through the air last season.

Tight ends

Add tight end to the ever-growing list of positions that Samuels falls under. However, this is the position that most accurately describes Samuels’ game, as the playmaker was listed as the starter at tight end for 10 of the Pack’s 13 games last year. Samuels should be the workhorse at tight end again this season.

Behind Samuels is graduate student tight end Cole Cook, who started one game last year and had four receptions for 49 yards and one touchdown. State is losing two tight ends that appeared in games last year in graduate Clark Eyers and transfer Thaddeus Moss, however neither one played a major role.