CJ Bailey isn’t treating NC State’s trip to Virginia like a warm-up. For the Wolfpack quarterback, Saturday is about showing exactly who this team is when the season starts counting.
Ahead of the in-conference opener in Charlottesville, Bailey said the mood around practice has already shifted into game mode. The work has been competitive, the urgency has been obvious, and now it’s time to carry that energy into a road environment.
“That feels good. All camp we've been going against each other, being competitive, and today was a good practice, real competitive.
We're still about to play Virginia. Let's think about Virginia, and we're going against each other.
It was very competitive today, and I'm ready to get to Virginia for sure.”
Bailey said the Wolfpack understand the challenge waiting for them. Virginia, he said, is a team that will be ready at home and won’t hand anything over.
“They're a good team. We watched their film from last year, and we played them as well.
They're a really good team that's going to be competitive on game day. They're going to come out to play.
They're not going to just let us win. They're at home, so this is their home, and they're going to have a big stage, a big stadium and everything like that.
But we've been scouting them. They're a good team.
We're a good physical team. I'm looking forward to playing.”
One matchup that stands out to Bailey is facing former Chaminade-Madonna teammate DL Jason Hammond. That connection, he said, still carries weight.
“It means a lot. We faced him last year, and he's a good player.
It means a lot that's my boy. We're both from Florida, and you know what it means to win in Florida.
We play differently. We move differently.
So that's one of my guys.”
Bailey also pointed to another former teammate who has been in the spotlight after helping Indiana win a national title and then getting drafted. For him, those conversations are personal.
“Yeah. So, little backstory: me, Ponds, JJ, JoJo - we're all like brothers.
We all have the same goals, the same mindset. We like the same kind of people.
We think alike. So when I speak with him, it's just like our buddy-buddy friendship.
I congratulated him for that championship and also getting drafted. He's a good player, gonna be a good player for the Jets.
He's my guy. That's my boy.”
The third-year starter also drew a sharp line between where he was early in his career and where he is now. His answer wasn’t about arm strength or raw talent. It was about processing the game.
“The biggest difference is how you see the game. When you first come in as a freshman, you're just playing ball.
You're not worried about protections. Sometimes I'd miss motions and stuff like that.
This year, I know the whole system, and when I walk out there now, I'm thinking about what they're doing, not what we're doing over here. So when I walk out there, I'm looking at the defense and how we're going to attack them, rather than just thinking about concepts and routes and which motion to run.”
As for what Bailey has picked up from Virginia’s defense, he kept that part close to the vest, but he did note the Cavaliers’ structure.
“They like to play four-down, man, things like that. But I really don't want to get into all that.”
Still, he made clear this is the kind of opener NC State has been building toward. The road test matters, especially after the Wolfpack’s home-away split last year.
“Oh yeah, of course. Like I said, we've been preparing for this for a long time, and every practice, every day we come out, it's very competitive.
It's very high-tension, and that's the mindset. We know we have a good opponent for the first game, a good conference game.
We're coming out to attack. So every day it's been like that.
And when I tell you every day it's been like that, it's been like that. So it's been good.”
Bailey said the Wolfpack need to prove they can bring their best away from Raleigh, and that Saturday gives them a chance to do exactly that.
“It’s very important to set the tone for those away games, because those are really big. For us last year, as everybody knows, we were really good at home, and away was where we struggled.
So setting that tone right away in those away games, getting that win, and getting everybody the same mindset we have at home is going to be big for us. So that first game is a big one.”
And because it’s the first conference game, Bailey sees it as more than just another date on the schedule. In his mind, it’s the first real measurement of what NC State can become.
“Yeah, good question. It definitely does, because when it comes to our conference, we're big on winning our conference, and with this being the first game, it's our first test.
It's our real first test of how our season will really go. Sometimes teams start off slow and finish good.
This game right here is the first conference game. We've got to come out and attack those people, to set the tone for the season.
Period.”
In Other News...
Dave Doeren Is Closing In On Rare NC State History
Dave Doerens run at NC State has already stretched into unusual territory for modern college football, and this fall brings another marker that underscores just how long he has been steering the program. Entering his 14th season, Doeren is closing in on a piece of school history that has stood for decades, with his current total of 165 games coached putting him on the doorstep of Earle Edwards long-standing standard.
The pace of the climb is set, too, with the Wolfpack expected to reach the tie in the eighth game of the 2026 season against California before moving past the mark the following week against Duke. For a program that has valued stability and steady success, the significance goes beyond a record book note. It is another reminder that Doerens tenure has become one of the defining stretches in NC State football history, even as the next milestone is still just ahead. [Read more 🡒]
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Caden Fordham, Garrett Bradbury and Kentavius Street were among the other former NC State players to see the field and help their teams in varying roles. For Wolfpack followers, the preseason is offering more than just a glimpse of where those players landed after Raleigh - it is also a reminder of how much NC State talent continues to show up when NFL teams start sorting out their depth charts. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Has A New Defensive Voice Entering Virginia Week
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One of the clearest signs of that shift has been transfer linebacker Popo Aguirre, who has moved quickly from newcomer to one of the voices his teammates trust. Doeren pointed to Aguirres humility, work ethic and leadership as reasons he earned respect so fast, and the captaincy vote showed how quickly he has fit into the fabric of the defense. For a team trying to establish its identity entering conference play, having a new defensive presence rise that fast is a pretty useful development. [Read more 🡒]