NC State quarterback CJ Bailey is walking into 2026 with the kind of buzz that turns a promising starter into a national name.
After two seasons in Raleigh, the Wolfpack signal-caller is being talked about by ACC coaches and personnel people as one of the league’s top quarterbacks, and there’s even some serious 2027 NFL Draft intrigue starting to build around him. ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg collected that feedback ahead of Bailey’s critical season, and one anonymous ACC general manager didn’t bother to soften the praise.
"Bailey is talented as s---, man. He's more talented than [Darian] Mensah," an ACC general manager told Rittenberg.
"And he's getting smarter. You saw some growth in his game last year.
He made better decisions. He understands he's got to take care of his body and not take big hits, especially with more of a slender frame."
That kind of evaluation fits the arc Bailey has already built at NC State. The 6-foot-6, 218-pound quarterback played in 11 games with nine starts in 2024 and completed 65 percent of his passes, which ranked sixth in the ACC and set a program freshman record.
He threw for 2,413 yards, added 17 passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and ran for 279 yards and five more scores. His 17 passing touchdowns were the second-most ever by an NC State freshman quarterback.
He took another step in his second season as the starter. Bailey finished 2025 with 3,105 passing yards and 25 touchdowns, totals that landed ninth and tied for seventh, respectively, in single-season program history. He also completed 69 percent of his passes last year.
Dave Doeren pointed to the part of Bailey’s game that keeps standing out: how calm he stays when the pocket starts to break down.
"His pocket awareness, he just has a clock and feels things," Dave Doeren told Rittenberg. "Some guys scramble, or they're in the pocket and they see the blitz.
His eyes are on his receivers, and some guys aren't like that, man. As soon as they start feeling it, you see him put their head down.
"His eyes are always up. It's like a point guard. You can see the court without looking at guys."
Even with that résumé, Bailey has still been somewhat overshadowed around the ACC by Darian Mensah, Kevin Jennings and Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. He did, however, receive 15 Preseason ACC Player of the Year votes entering 2026.
Now the challenge is bigger than just being good. Bailey has a reworked offense around him, with multiple new faces at receiver and running back who have not yet broken through at the college level. If he can lift that group the way NC State believes he can, the ceiling is obvious: a stronger run at the ACC’s top quarterback spot, a push onto the national stage and a move up NFL Draft boards.
One ACC coach who saw him up close didn’t leave much room for doubt.
"We probably undersold him playing him last year," another ACC coach told Rittenberg. "He was incredible in our game. He's one of the best in the league."
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