CFB Report’s latest quarterback rankings put NC State’s CJ Bailey at No. 26 entering the 2026 season, and that number looks hard to justify once you dig into what he actually did in 2025.
The list, posted on August 3, 2026, slotted Bailey well outside the top tier. That drew an immediate reaction, especially from people who see him as much more than a fringe name. Cam Newton even labeled Bailey a top-5 quarterback in the country.
The argument against the ranking starts with production. Bailey finished the 2025 season 15th among the 30 quarterbacks in passing yards, 13th in passing touchdowns, and 14th in passer rating. Put those three marks together, and he lands 14th overall.
That’s the gap here. A quarterback whose numbers place him in the middle of that group isn’t matching a No. 26 spot.
Whether you want to call him 12th, 15th, or 18th is one thing. Twenty-sixth is something else entirely.
For NC State fans, this kind of thing feels familiar: a player who looks nationally worthy, a ranking that feels too low, and the sense that being at NC State keeps him from getting the respect he would get at a bigger brand. In this case, though, the numbers make the complaint easier to defend.
The list probably isn’t changing, and it clearly wasn’t built to make the Wolfpack happy. But Bailey’s 2025 production suggests he belongs much closer to the top half of the country’s quarterbacks than the back end of the rankings. NC State now gets the chance to back that up on the field.
In Other News...
Terrell Anderson Finally Opened Up About Why He Left NC State
Terrell Anderson is getting ready for a fresh start at USC, where the former NC State wide receiver is set to suit up for the Trojans beginning Aug. 29. After transferring out of Raleigh, Anderson made it clear he still views his time with Dave Doeren and the Wolfpack in a positive light, which adds some perspective to a move that naturally drew curiosity from fans who wondered what prompted it.
Anderson is expected to give Lincoln Rileys offense a downfield option and help on special teams, which makes him a useful piece as he tries to carve out a role in Los Angeles. What he opened up about, though, was the tone of the departure itself, and the larger question now is how quickly he can turn that next opportunity into meaningful production for USC. [Read more 🡒]
NC State May Not Be Out Of Options With A Key Returnee
A new eligibility ruling could end up mattering in Raleigh, where the NCAAs 5 in 5 framework has created a fresh layer of uncertainty for players who started college in 2022. The rule was meant to bring some uniformity to eligibility by limiting athletes to five years, including redshirts and transfers, but the class of 2022 was originally left out before lawsuits pushed the issue into court.
Now there is at least a path for some of those players to gain another season, and that keeps NC State from assuming every familiar face is necessarily headed out the door. The situation is still tangled by the NCAAs appeal, and the fine print leaves plenty of players sorting through exactly where they stand, which means the Wolfpack may not be done exploring their options just yet. [Read more 🡒]
CJ Bailey Now Carries NC States Biggest 2026 Question
Fall camp opened with NC State leaning on a familiar face in CJ Bailey, whose second season brought the kind of progress the Wolfpack wanted to see from its quarterback. With several key players back and roster turnover still reshaping the room around him, Bailey enters 2026 as the central figure in an offense that will need steadiness as much as it needs production.
His role is bigger now because the expectations are bigger, too. Bailey showed real growth as the season unfolded and already has the look of a player the staff can build around, but the next step is about more than confidence and command. For NC State, the real question is how far he can carry an offense that will be asking a lot from him again. [Read more 🡒]