NC State’s offseason overhaul left plenty of questions, but the one spot that could shape the whole offense is still the easiest to spot: left tackle. That’s why Jimarion McCrimon checks in at No. 2 on Pack Power 247’s list of the Wolfpack’s most important players for 2026.
NC State opened fall camp this week after an 8-5 season that ended with a convincing bowl win over Memphis. The roster looks different in a lot of places, with quarterback CJ Bailey, right tackle Teague Andersen, center Spike Sowells Jr. and running back Duke Scott back in the fold.
The defense has to rebuild its front six, even as Jackson Vick and Brian Nelson II return in the secondary. The portal also brought in help in Tulane transfer Edge Harvey Dyson, Penn State safety King Mack, Miami transfer linebacker Popo Aguirre and McCrimon at left tackle.
McCrimon’s path to Raleigh started at ECU, where he signed as part of the Pirates’ 2023 recruiting class after starring at Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola.
The 6-foot-5, 314-pound lineman also played basketball and ran track in high school. He was not a heavily recruited prospect, with Purdue standing as the only Power Four school to offer him.
ECU hosted him on an official visit in late January 2023, offered him a scholarship during that trip and landed his commitment six days later. He joined the Pirates in May 2023.
His first fall in Greenville was a redshirt year, but he quickly moved into a much bigger role after that. In 2024, McCrimon appeared in all 13 games and made his first start in the seventh game of the season at Army.
From there, he never gave the job back. He started seven games that year, logged 616 snaps and helped ECU average 436.4 yards per game, good for 24th in FBS.
The Pirates topped 500 yards of total offense in five games that season.
By 2025, McCrimon had become a fixture. He played in 12 of ECU’s 13 games and started all of them, then finished the year with first-team All-AAC honors.
He entered the transfer portal on Dec. 23, 2025, right as the buzz was building that Jacarrius Peak was leaning toward the portal as well. With Bailey already back for 2026, left tackle suddenly became one of NC State’s biggest offseason needs.
McCrimon took his official visit to Raleigh on the weekend of Jan. 2, 2026, and signed three days later on the following Monday before enrolling shortly after. He arrived as a mid-three-star transfer prospect with an 86 rating and the No. 49 portal offensive tackle.
Once he got to campus, the reports were encouraging. McCrimon impressed in winter workouts, held his own early in spring practice and then kept climbing as spring went on.
By the middle of camp, there were whispers he had even surpassed Peak. He also added close to 20 pounds of muscle.
Now the assignment is straightforward. NC State has to be better up front, and that starts with keeping Bailey clean from his blind side.
The Wolfpack made a major commitment to the quarterback, and this season will follow his lead. McCrimon is moving up to Power Four competition, so there could be some early bumps.
But if everything clicks, he has the tools to develop into one of the league’s top offensive tackles. Even without going that far, the pairing of McCrimon and Andersen gives State a chance to turn the tackle spots into a real strength.
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