NC State’s receiver room looks a lot different heading into 2026, and Jojo Trader sees that as the kind of opening a player can run with.
The Miami transfer is one of nine new wideouts on the roster after the Wolfpack lost its top five pass catchers from the 2025 season. For Trader, a junior with a fresh start in Raleigh, the move has already brought a different kind of energy.
"This opportunity means a lot," Trader said. "I'm coming from somewhere I didn't play a lot to a place where they value me. I feel like it's going to be a great year."
A big part of that comfort comes from the people around him. Trader’s bond with quarterback CJ Bailey goes back to childhood, when the two started playing Pop Warner football together at eight years old and later helped lead Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna to three straight state championships.
Bailey isn’t the only familiar face. UNC transfer running back Davion Gause was also part of those championship teams, and fellow Miami transfer receiver Chance Robinson was on the same 7-on-7 team with the trio in high school. Trader said the reunion has made the transition smoother.
"We've been able to grow since day one of being here," Trader said. "We actually live in the same apartment complex.
So every day when we go home, we'll watch film, break it down, and stay on each other. We just want to make each other better.
But that's what you want from your brothers. If you don't get that type of love, it ain't real."
That proximity has only sharpened his connection with Bailey.
"Living that close to each other has made our chemistry ten times better," Trader said. "He can come over any time -- even at 2 in the morning -- and go over plays. So I always have to stay ready."
Trader also pointed to the competition inside the wide receiver group as a real driving force. In his view, the room has become a place where teammates keep each other honest every day.
"Everybody coaches each other," Trader said. "Everybody gets on each other -- in a good way -- not a bad way. And everybody loves each other in a great way."
With NC State opening the season in less than two weeks, Trader isn’t shy about what he thinks this offense can become. He believes the Wolfpack have more than enough options at receiver to make noise.
"We're going to have a great year," Trader said. "I'm not going to give too much away. But there's not just two receivers or three receivers -- it's more than three -- so watch out."
His goals are tied to the bigger picture. Trader said he wants to help the team in any way he can, while also aiming high for what the Wolfpack can accomplish in 2026.
"My expectations for myself are just to help make the team better," Trader said. "And for the team -- it's ACC Championship, and to go on a playoff run. And I feel like we're going to do that."
Even with the team-first mindset, Trader knows this season carries a personal edge. The former four-star recruit and high school All-American said he has plenty to prove.
"(Proving myself) is very important," said Trader. "I feel like I have everything to prove. But I'm ready and locked in."
In Other News...
NC State's Talent Surge Puts Real Pressure On The 2026 Wolfpack
NC States 2026 roster is starting to look like the kind of group that changes expectations rather than simply meets them. The Wolfpack now have 36 players who were rated as four-star prospects by at least one major recruiting service, including 10 consensus four-star recruits, giving the program a depth of pedigree that reflects both its high school recruiting and its work in the Transfer Portal.
The portal, in particular, has helped reshape the ceiling here, with five consensus Top-300 nationally ranked additions arriving from other programs. Mixed in with that is a notable wave of homegrown four-star talent signed straight out of high school, which is where the real pressure begins for 2026. NC State no longer has the luxury of being measured only by potential, because a roster this decorated comes with the expectation that it should start looking like more than a collection of promising pieces. [Read more 🡒]
Dave Doeren Just Revealed A New Leadership Twist For NC State
NC State has its leadership group in place for the 2026 season, and Dave Doeren said the selections came from the players themselves. The Wolfpacks five captains are quarterback CJ Bailey, running back Duke Scott, linebackers Popo Aguirre and AJ Richardson, and cornerback Brian Nelson II, giving the team a mix of voices from both sides of the ball as it prepares for the year ahead.
Doeren also added a wrinkle the program has not used before: assistant captains. Receiver Keenan Jackson, offensive guard Kamen Smith and defensive tackle Isaiah Shirley fill those roles, a sign the staff wants even more layers of accountability and leadership around the roster as the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]