NC State’s offense is built around a familiar face in a very unfamiliar setup, and that makes CJ Bailey the center of everything this season.
The junior quarterback is coming off a strong year, throwing for 3,105 yards and 25 touchdowns, but he’s chasing a bigger jump in 2026. Bailey isn’t shy about the target he has in mind, either.
“A personal goal is, I want to throw for a lot of yards. 4,000 yards,” Bailey said.
That push will come with a revamped supporting cast, though not one without some comfort built in. The Wolfpack lost important pieces from the receiver room, but Bailey has several options who already know how he works.
One of the biggest is redshirt sophomore running back Jayden “Duke” Scott, who returns after breaking out last season with 196 rushing yards against Georgia Tech in the game that helped deliver NC State’s biggest win of the year. Now he’s positioned to handle the primary role in the backfield and give the Pack a real ground threat.
Junior running back Davion Gause is part of that equation too. He transferred in from UNC after rushing for 259 yards and three touchdowns last season, and his connection with Bailey goes back to their high school days. Bailey sees that pairing as a major boost.
“With Duke coming back and Davion, we should run all over anybody,” Bailey said.
The passing game is where the mix of old and new gets most interesting. Junior wide receiver Keenan Jackson is expected to be the top target after posting 28 catches for 281 yards and two touchdowns last season.
Behind him, junior transfer Joshisha “Jojo” Trader brings another layer of familiarity since he also went to high school with Bailey and Gause. Trader arrives from Miami after limited action there, finishing with 13 receptions for 178 yards.
Bailey said that chemistry showed up immediately once practice started.
“That first day, it was like everything was clicking. We were all on the same page already,” Bailey said.
Redshirt junior Davion Dozier is also expected to start at receiver after transferring from Appalachian State, where he caught 20 passes for 448 yards last year. At tight end, sophomore Preston Douglas is slated to step into the starting job and round out Bailey’s group of skill-position options.
Up front, NC State has added more new pieces in Jimarion McCrimon and Daniel Cruz, and Bailey has already seen enough to be confident in the line.
“Our front five is elite”
For NC State, the formula is clear: Bailey has the arm, the backs bring balance, and the new faces around him give the offense a different look. The Wolfpack will lean on his leadership and production, but the burden won’t fall on him alone.
In Other News...
Brian Nelson II Is Suddenly Central To NC States 2026 Defense
NC State heads into its 2026 football season at Virginia with a defense that already has a clear new face in the leadership mix. Brian Nelson II, the cornerback who transferred from North Texas, was named one of the Wolfpacks captains for the year, a notable step for a player who spent 2025 working mostly without the spotlight before earning a starting role late in the season.
Nelsons rise gives the secondary an important anchor heading into a road opener that will ask plenty from the Pack right away. He is projected to start in 2026, and his climb from non-starter to captain suggests NC State sees more than just steady play, but a player ready to help set the tone for a defense trying to establish itself early. [Read more 🡒]
NC States New Receiver Gives CJ Bailey A Huge Early Storyline
NC States 2026 depth chart offered an immediate hint at one of the more intriguing storylines around CJ Bailey, with Miami transfer wide receiver Jojo Trader listed as a starter. The move gives the Wolfpack another experienced target to build around, and it also adds a familiar face for Bailey, who has known Trader for years and has played alongside him since childhood and again in high school before the two were reunited in Raleigh.
Trader arrives with some college production already on the ledger after appearing in 11 games last season and catching 13 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown. For NC State, the pairing is about more than continuity at receiver. It gives Bailey a built-in chemistry piece entering the season, and the bigger question now is how quickly that old connection translates once the games start counting again. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Just Revived A Helmet Debate Fans Care About
NC State has already shown a willingness to tinker with its look this season, beginning 2025 in cursive NC State helmets before moving to the larger Tuffy wolf logo for the rest of the schedule and the Gasparilla Bowl. This fall, though, the helmet debate has circled back again, with the Wolfpack using a smaller version of the Tuffy logo and giving fans another reason to compare it with the more familiar design.
The change has been noticeable enough to spark the kind of social media conversation that always seems to follow a helmet tweak. Some fans like the cleaner look, others prefer the bolder version, and the split reaction says plenty about how much these details still matter in Raleigh. For a program with a distinctive identity, even a small logo change can feel bigger than it looks. [Read more 🡒]