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Raleigh, Wake County

NC State: Mugharbil and Ploog out for the season; Wolfpack plays Stanford Friday

Coach Dave Doeren said Monday the graduate guard has a significant leg injury and the sophomore tight end has a bad shoulder. NC State (3-3) visits Stanford on Friday at 10:30 p.m. Eastern.

ConfirmedThe main facts are confirmed by official or first-hand sources.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published

Downtown Raleigh buildings under a blue sky

File photo: James Willamor (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • NC State football coach Dave Doeren said at his Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, news conference that graduate offensive guard Yousef Mugharbil and sophomore tight end Vander Ploog will miss the rest of the season.Confirmed by Doeren news conference transcript via Inside Pack Sports; On3
  • Doeren said Mugharbil suffered a significant leg injury. He said Ploog came in with a bad shoulder and could not get it healthy.Confirmed by Doeren news conference transcript via Inside Pack Sports; On3
  • Doeren listed offensive guard Kamen Smith, running back Duke Scott, wide receiver JoJo Trader and safety Tristan Teasdell as day-to-day. He said they could return this week or next.Confirmed by Doeren news conference transcript via Inside Pack Sports; On3; 247Sports
  • NC State is 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the ACC after a 38-14 loss to Wake Forest on Oct. 10 at Carter-Finley Stadium. The Wolfpack had an open week after that game.Confirmed by NC State Athletics schedule and Wake Forest recap
  • NC State next plays at Stanford on Friday, Oct. 23, at 10:30 p.m. Eastern (7:30 p.m. Pacific) on ESPN, at Stanford Stadium. The official gopack.com schedule, game center and Oct. 19 Stanford game notes all list that opponent, date, site and kickoff. The ACC posted the same Friday time on Oct. 12.Confirmed by NC State Athletics schedule, game center and Stanford game notes; ACC
  • University game notes list Mugharbil as a graduate offensive guard from Murphy, N.C., and Ploog as a sophomore tight end who transferred from Oregon.Confirmed by NC State Athletics Stanford game notes, Oct. 19, 2026
  • Official athletics schedules also list East Carolina at Memphis on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern; North Carolina Central at Delaware State on Friday, Oct. 23, at 5 p.m.; Duke at Virginia on Friday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m.; UNC hosting Syracuse on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m. in Chapel Hill; and Campbell at Maine on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m.Confirmed by East Carolina, NCCU, Duke, North Carolina and Campbell athletics schedules
  • Duke coach Manny Diaz said Monday that defensive back Kimari Robinson's conduct toward a female trainer during Saturday's UNC game "fell well below" the program's standard. Diaz said Robinson had apologized privately and publicly and that the matter would be handled internally. He did not describe any discipline.Confirmed by The News & Observer; WRAL

Still unknown

  • Whether Smith, Scott, Trader or Teasdell will be available Friday
  • How long Mugharbil's and Ploog's recoveries will take beyond Doeren saying each has time before next season

What happened

In Raleigh, NC State football will be without two more players for the rest of the season.

Coach Dave Doeren said Monday that graduate offensive guard Yousef Mugharbil and sophomore tight end Vander Ploog are done for the year. Doeren spoke at his weekly news conference after the team's open week.

He said Mugharbil has a significant leg injury. He said Ploog arrived with a bad shoulder and could not get it healthy. Inside Pack Sports published a transcript of those remarks. On3, writing from the same availability, matched the two season-ending injuries and the same descriptions.

Doeren also listed offensive guard Kamen Smith, running back Duke Scott, wide receiver JoJo Trader and safety Tristan Teasdell as day-to-day. He said they might be back this week or next. 247Sports reported the same four names as day-to-day.

The official roster notes list Mugharbil as a graduate guard from Murphy and Ploog as a sophomore tight end who came from Oregon.

Next game

The Wolfpack is 3-3 and 1-2 in the ACC. Wake Forest beat NC State 38-14 on Oct. 10 at Carter-Finley Stadium. The team then had an open date.

NC State plays at Stanford on Friday, Oct. 23. Kickoff is 10:30 p.m. Eastern, 7:30 p.m. Pacific, on ESPN, at Stanford Stadium. The university's schedule, game center and Oct. 19 game notes all list that matchup. The ACC posted the same Friday time on Oct. 12.

One preview listed California as the opponent. The official pages do not. The next home game on the university schedule is California, on Saturday, Oct. 31.

Other local college games this week

These kickoffs are from each school's official schedule:

  • East Carolina at Memphis, Thursday, Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m. Eastern.
  • North Carolina Central at Delaware State on Friday at 5 p.m.
  • Duke at Virginia that same Friday at 7 p.m.
  • UNC hosts Syracuse on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m. in Chapel Hill.
  • Campbell at Maine that Saturday at 1 p.m.

Duke coach Manny Diaz, at his Monday news conference, said defensive back Kimari Robinson's conduct toward a female trainer during Saturday's game against UNC "fell well below" the program's standard. Diaz said Robinson had apologized in private and in public, and that the school would handle the rest internally. He did not say what, if any, discipline would follow. The News & Observer and WRAL both reported those remarks.

This site is not NC State Athletics.

Why it matters

NC State is Raleigh's ACC football team and is 3-3 heading into a Friday night road game. Two more players are done for the year. Fans need the opponent, the kickoff and what the coach actually said.

Updates

  1. Oct 19, 2026, 8:18 PM

    Doeren says Mugharbil (leg) and Ploog (shoulder) are out for the season. Official schedule keeps Friday's game at Stanford, 10:30 p.m. Eastern.

Sources

  1. 2026 Football Schedule (3-3, 1-2 ACC; at Stanford, Friday, Oct. 23, 10:30 p.m.)

    Official sourcePublished by NC State Athletics · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 8:15 PM

  2. Football at Stanford on 10/23/2026, game center (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Stanford, CA)

    Official sourcePublished by NC State Athletics · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 8:15 PM

  3. 2026 Wolfpack Football game notes: NC State vs. Stanford (PDF, posted Oct. 19, 2026: 3-3, 1-2 ACC; Friday, Oct. 23, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Stanford Stadium)

    Official sourcePublished by NC State Athletics · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 8:15 PM

  4. ACC Football Week 8 TV Networks and Game Times Announced (Oct. 12, 2026: NC State at Stanford, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

    Official sourcePublished by Atlantic Coast Conference · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 8:15 PM

  5. Head coach Dave Doeren: Guys Have to Choose to Focus Better (Oct. 19, 2026, news conference transcript: Mugharbil significant leg injury, season over; Ploog bad shoulder, out for the year; Smith, Trader, Scott and Teasdell day-to-day; Stanford Friday 10:30 Eastern)

    Published by Inside Pack Sports · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 8:15 PM

  6. NC State loses IOL Yousef Mugharbil, TE Vander Ploog to injuries, others listed day-to-day (On3, Oct. 19, 2026: same injury list from Doeren's Monday availability)

    Published by On3 · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 8:15 PM

  7. NC State OG Yousef Mugharbil, TE Vander Ploog to miss rest of season due to injury (247Sports, Oct. 19, 2026: Doeren listed Smith, Trader, Scott and Teasdell as day-to-day)

    Published by 247Sports · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 8:15 PM

  8. Wolfpack Goes Quiet in Second Half, Falls to Wake Forest 38-14

    Official sourcePublished by NC State Athletics · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 8:15 PM

  9. 2026 Football Schedule (at Memphis, Thursday, Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m. ET)

    Official sourcePublished by East Carolina Athletics · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 8:15 PM

  10. 2026 Football Schedule (at Virginia, Friday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m.)

    Official sourcePublished by Duke Athletics · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 8:15 PM

  11. 2026 Football Schedule (vs. Syracuse, Saturday, Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m., Chapel Hill)

    Official sourcePublished by North Carolina Athletics · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 8:15 PM

  12. 2026 Football Schedule (at Delaware State, Friday, Oct. 23, 5 p.m.)

    Official sourcePublished by NCCU Athletics · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 8:15 PM

  13. 2026 Football Schedule (at Maine, Saturday, Oct. 24, 1 p.m.)

    Official sourcePublished by Campbell Athletics · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 8:15 PM

  14. How Duke will handle the Kimari Robinson incident with a female trainer (The News & Observer, Oct. 19, 2026: Diaz said Robinson fell well below the standard, had apologized privately and publicly, and that the matter would be handled internally)

    Published by The News & Observer · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 8:15 PM

  15. Duke cornerback apologizes after swatting away female staffer's arm (WRAL, updated Oct. 19, 2026: Diaz said the behavior fell well below the standard and would be handled internally)

    Published by WRAL · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 8:15 PM

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