Tomorrow is the first day of the start of preseason camp, 29 days shy of the season opener against East Carolina.

Here is an updated look at our projected depth chart for the offense after conversations with assistant coaches during the summer.

Related link: Post-spring projected depth chart on offense

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After the spring we copped out a bit and went with the "Or" between all three quarterbacks. However, all signs coming out of the summer clearly paint a picture that McKay has an edge going into preseason camp. Even Las Vegas put odds on it in his favor.

However, our hunch is three years ago Vegas would have made Jalan McClendon a favorite to be the starter for NC State over Ryan Finley and Jakobi Meyers, and obviously by the end of preseason camp it was a different story. We're not sure how many people were betting on Russell Wilson to be a starter in the preseason of 2008 either.

That's our way of saying this thing is a long ways from being decided. McKay's comfort level in the offense probably gives him the edge for now, and his athleticism is an added bonus. But Leary has the million dollar arm, and Hockman is a coach's son who was the most highly recruited coming out of high school of all three and could prove to be a quick study.

In other words: stay tuned. A starter will almost certainly not be announced until shortly before kickoff versus East Carolina.

There is no change in our projection here, but we would not be surprised to see Knight emerging as a starter. The home-run hitter had a huge spring capped by running 17 times for 139 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown, in the spring game, while Person used the time to get healthy.

There is little question that a fully healthy Person is a difference maker in the backfield. He rushed 112 times for 471 yards and two touchdowns last year despite missing four full games and playing injured in others. That included rushing for over 100 yards versus Virginia.

But Person has shown since high school a tendency to be injured. He will need to stay healthy and practicing during camp to emerge with the starting job.

The wildcard is redshirt freshman Trent Pennix, who shined apparently during offseason workouts and has boosted his athleticism.

It's finally Emezie and Riley's turns to shine at receiver. Emezie already did that last year with his 53 receptions for 616 yards and five touchdowns. Riley caught 28 passes a season ago for 315 yards and two scores.

We will stick with our guesses from the spring that the rookies Carter and Provillon will be the top reserves. Carter has earned strong reviews since arriving on campus. Provillon will have to battle redshirt sophomore Max Fisher and perhaps true freshman Christopher Toudle for the top reserve spot opposite Carter.

The big battle will be in the slot where NC State has the potential to have excellent depth. Thomas hauled in 34 receptions for 383 yards and three touchdowns during his rookie season, while Hines is a grad transfer from Oregon who is more noted from his work at Wake Forest before that.

Hines was one of the ACC's best slot receivers while playing for the Deacons and is healthy after missing most of last season with a knee injury.

Further adding to the depth in the slot is freshman Keyon Lesane, who had a good spring game with four catches for 44 yards and has earned positive feedback from receivers coach George McDonald.

As we noted in the spring, there could be a lot of times where Autenrieth is starting or Angeline is starting. A lot will simply depend on what kind of formation that the offense opena with when it hits the field.

On paper, Angeline is more of a receiving threat and he caught nine passes for 169 yards and a touchdown in 11 games last year, while Autenrieth is a stronger in-line blocker. However, new tight ends coach Todd Goebbel is stressing his players to be complete tight ends. Does that mean Autenrieth, for instance, will become more involved as a receiver? Time will tell.

We only list two tight ends, but redshirt junior Dylan Parham, an athletic converted quarterback, is almost certain to be in the mix on the depth chart as well.

No changes on the starting line yet, but there is optimism that former four-star signee McGirt is finally healthy enough to potentially compete for a starting job with Riley. Brown, who has battled gaining enough weight and strength to play tackle, has also made some good strides according to first-year offensive line coach John Garrison.

In addition to left tackle, the other position battle to watch could be on the interior, although Gibson appears to be a healthy bet to start at center. His classmate, Speas, could be another starting option, in which case Sculthorpe likely slides inside to center.

The second line is where there are bigger questions. We went a bit bold and predicted that true freshman and recent arrival Dylan McMahon will grab a spot on the two-deep (which does not necessarily mean he will burn his redshirt either). Two other true freshmen — Timothy McKay and Ikem Ekwonu — could also be in the mix on the interior where the depth is more questionable.

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