NC State has locked in one of its biggest frontcourt pieces for the future.
Ven-Allen Lubin has received a temporary injunction from a Texas judge, making him eligible for the Wolfpack during the 2026-27 season. The ruling came Monday and means the fifth-year senior can suit up for NC State this winter. Lubin had already been granted a temporary restraining order from the same judge in August to join the roster, and with Monday’s decision, he is now fully eligible on the first day of Wolfpack practice, which opened Monday morning.
The 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward made an immediate impact in Raleigh last season and is not planning to move on this offseason. He averaged 13.6 points and a team-high 7.1 rebounds in his first year with the Wolfpack, giving NC State a reliable scorer and one of its most productive rebounders.
Lubin also put together one of the most efficient seasons in the country. He finished first in the ACC and second nationally in effective field-goal percentage last season, and he was the most efficient half-court player in the country at 1.301 points per possession. Those numbers helped him set an NC State record for shooting percentage at 66.8% and an NC State record for effective field-goal percentage at 67.4%, passing Kevin Thompson and TJ Warren, respectively.
For new head coach Justin Gainey and the veteran staff he brought in this offseason, getting Lubin back is a major win. It gives the Pack a proven interior presence as it builds around a frontcourt that already includes Kyle Evans, Shah Hall, Zymicah Wilkins, Robert Jurkovic and Eemeli Yalaho.
Lubin now looks like a permanent fixture in the paint for NC State, and the Wolfpack can move forward knowing one of its most efficient and dependable players is in the fold.
In Other News...
NC States Secondary Just Lost A Key Defender Without Warning
The Wolfpacks secondary took another hit this week when defensive back Asaad Brown disappeared from NC States football roster, leaving his status with the program unclear. Brown had already been sidelined for the last two games with an injury after opening the season on the field, so his absence had been noticeable even before the roster change surfaced.
Brown had been one of NC States more useful pieces in the back end, starting multiple games in 2025 and giving the defense some flexibility in how it deployed him. For a unit that has already had to manage injuries, losing a versatile defender without any immediate explanation only deepens the uncertainty around how the secondary will hold up moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Fans Have A Real Reason To Question That Budget Number
A new Athletic report put a price tag on roster spending across the Power 4, and NC State landed in the middle of the pack with an estimated range of $22 million to $26 million for the 2025-26 cycle. It is the kind of number that immediately gets attention because it helps frame how competitive a program is trying to be in the modern college football economy, especially for a team like the Wolfpack that is trying to keep pace in an arms race where perception often matters almost as much as reality.
But the figure has already been met with skepticism from people close to NC State, who say it is too high and does not reflect the programs actual spending. The report also flagged other schools, including Tennessee, LSU and Notre Dame, as possible misreads, which only adds to the sense that these broad estimates come with plenty of guesswork. For NC State fans, the bigger question is not just what the number says, but how much it really says about where the Wolfpack stands financially compared with the rest of the sport. [Read more 🡒]
CJ Bailey Owned NC States Costly Late Mistake After Vanderbilt Loss
After NC States loss at Vanderbilt, CJ Bailey did not duck the tough questions about how the game ended or how he handled the night overall. The quarterback met with the media to talk through his mindset after the setback, the late fumble that helped define the finish, and the way the offense had to adjust on the fly after moving from a tempo look to a huddle approach.
Bailey also spoke about the support system around him, pointing to his family as a steady source of encouragement while he continues to grow through the season. For a young quarterback, nights like this can linger, but they also become part of the learning curve, and Bailey sounded like a player intent on carrying the lessons from one road loss into the next challenge. [Read more 🡒]