Another Defensive Back Joins the Wolfpack for 2026 Season
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RALEIGH — Although the transfer portal process is in a bit of a lull, it hasn't stopped NC State from working on the depth of the 2026 roster. The Wolfpack continued to operate in the portal, adding yet another piece for the defense.
The program found another way to beat its archrival, the North Carolina Tar Heels, away from the football field. NC State secured another transfer commitment from UNC cornerback Ty White, according to a report from On3. White became the second Tar Heel to move down the road to Raleigh, joining running back Davion Gause, who committed to the Pack a week before.
More on White
NC State signed UNC transfer CB Ty White to bolster the secondary.
— Noah Fleischman (@fleischman_noah) January 13, 2026
The Wolfpack has signed a pair of Tar Heel transfers after it didn't take one since 1993.
More here: https://t.co/c6BclOTjLv pic.twitter.com/hseTZ3xhBr
White was a surprise addition, as NC State appeared to be in something of a holding pattern after the busy first week of the portal process. However, defensive back continued to be a need for the Wolfpack, so White's addition doesn't come as too much of a surprise. He became the second cornerback and third defensive back to commit to the program, joining Ondre Evans and King Mack.
The ties to White made the move make sense. He was recruited to North Carolina by Charlton Warren, who became the Wolfpack's safeties and nickels coach and co-defensive coordinator with DJ Eliot before the start of the 2025 season. Warren was a member of the Tar Heel staff under Mack Brown for three seasons, so he was familiar with what White could offer his secondary in Raleigh.
NC State has signed North Carolina cornerback transfer Ty White, @chris_hummer and I have learned.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 13, 2026
Was a Class of 2024 four-star recruit. pic.twitter.com/pMXP9c6ENa
White and Gause became the first pair of Tar Heels to join the Wolfpack on the football field since 1993 and the first pair to play for Dave Doeren. The cornerback attended well-known Buford High School in Georgia, where he played with incoming NC State high school commit Dylan McCoy for the Wolves. He was a standout three-star recruit before committing to UNC in its 2024 class.
The defensive back didn't see much action for the Tar Heels, working mostly with the special teams unit in his first two years in Chapel Hill. He ended up utilizing a redshirt, playing limited snaps at cornerback in the 2025 season. Despite the massive change at head coach at North Carolina, White opted to give things a shot with Bill Belichick at the helm. Now, he'll get a change of scenery down the road.
While NC State might already be set at cornerback with the players in-house, the Wolfpack knows better than any program how key depth could be in the secondary after the disastrous injuries that part of the defense suffered in 2025. White's addition also marks yet another win in the heated rivalry between the two programs in the Triangle.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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