NC State’s first depth chart of the 2026 season is out, and one name stands out immediately for the Wolfpack: Miami transfer wide receiver Jojo Trader is listed to start for the road team as NC State and Virginia get ready to open the year.
Trader’s college numbers don’t jump off the page at first glance. In 11 games during his second season, he caught 13 passes for 178 yards and one touchdown. But that stat line only tells part of the story.
His upside has always been the real draw. Trader entered college as a consensus four-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, and ESPN ranked him as the No. 25 player in the country.
There’s also a built-in connection that could matter right away. Trader and NC State quarterback CJ Bailey go all the way back to Chaminade-Madonna in Hollywood, Florida, where they graduated together. They weren’t just teammates there, either - they’ve been playing football together since they were 8 years old.
The chemistry showed in high school. As a senior, Trader hauled in 47 catches for 757 yards and 14 touchdowns from Bailey.
He was part of a loaded passing attack, one that also featured Jeremiah Smith, Bailey’s top target and now a wide receiver at Ohio State. Smith enters the 2026 season as the No. 1 player in college football.
Bailey had plenty of talent to distribute to during that final high school season, and he still threw 47 touchdown passes.
Now the duo is back together at NC State, and the Wolfpack will need that familiarity after losing its top five receivers from last season. That leaves Bailey with plenty of new questions to solve in the passing game.
Those answers will start coming soon enough, but the jersey to watch is No. 2.
Bailey figures to look Trader’s way early and often. Before Trader plays his first game in an NC State uniform, his 2025 highlight reel is already worth a look.
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Brian Nelson II Is Suddenly Central To NC States 2026 Defense
NC State heads into its 2026 football season at Virginia with a defense that already has a clear new face in the leadership mix. Brian Nelson II, the cornerback who transferred from North Texas, was named one of the Wolfpacks captains for the year, a notable step for a player who spent 2025 working mostly without the spotlight before earning a starting role late in the season.
Nelsons rise gives the secondary an important anchor heading into a road opener that will ask plenty from the Pack right away. He is projected to start in 2026, and his climb from non-starter to captain suggests NC State sees more than just steady play, but a player ready to help set the tone for a defense trying to establish itself early. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Just Revived A Helmet Debate Fans Care About
NC State has already shown a willingness to tinker with its look this season, beginning 2025 in cursive NC State helmets before moving to the larger Tuffy wolf logo for the rest of the schedule and the Gasparilla Bowl. This fall, though, the helmet debate has circled back again, with the Wolfpack using a smaller version of the Tuffy logo and giving fans another reason to compare it with the more familiar design.
The change has been noticeable enough to spark the kind of social media conversation that always seems to follow a helmet tweak. Some fans like the cleaner look, others prefer the bolder version, and the split reaction says plenty about how much these details still matter in Raleigh. For a program with a distinctive identity, even a small logo change can feel bigger than it looks. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Scott Enters Virginia Opener With NC State Fans Watching Closely
Duke Scott heads into NC States season opener at Virginia with a much bigger spotlight than he had a year ago. After backing up first-team All-ACC running back Hollywood Smothers last season and still putting up 581 rushing yards and four touchdowns, Scott has moved into the lead role for the Wolfpack, giving the backfield a new look as the schedule begins.
Dave Doeren has already made it clear how the staff views him, handing Scott the No. 1 jersey and naming him one of the teams captains for the upcoming season. For NC State fans, the opener will be the first real chance to see whether Scott can turn that trust into production when the Wolfpacks offense starts looking for answers in a different direction. [Read more 🡒]