CJ Bailey’s Miami Reunion Is Taking Shape at NC State
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RALEIGH — When NC State retained quarterback CJ Bailey for his junior year, the program's ceiling instantly flew higher in the sky, at least for the 2026 season. In his sophomore campaign, Bailey played like one of the ACC's best passers in moments, very close to breaking through on a grander stage.
Had he entered the transfer portal and explored other opportunities after the season, there's little reason to think he wouldn't have been coveted. Instead, Bailey placed his trust in the NC State program. To reward that trust, the Wolfpack is bringing as much of the young quarterback's home to Raleigh as it possibly can.
Bailey, who will turn 20 in May, fondly speaks about his hometown of Hollywood, Florida, part of the Miami metropolitan area in Broward County. While at Chaminade Madonna High School, he was one of the best quarterbacks in the state, playing alongside and against tons of high-level talent. Three years later, NC State is trying to bring some of that talent to the City of Oaks to combine with Bailey.
Florida on the roster
The process of making Bailey feel at home started long before this transfer portal cycle. The Wolfpack brought in a high school wide receiver named Teddy Hoffmann, a native of Delray Beach, Florida, just north of his future quarterback's home in Hollywood. As the young wideout impressed in camp, the talk quickly turned to the chemistry the pair might develop.
Hoffmann and Bailey combined five times in their first game together, with the receiver racking up 93 yards. He finished his first season in Raleigh with 25 receptions for 349 yards and three touchdowns, showing flashes of being a future favorite target for his fellow South Floridian. There was a clear comfort between the two players from the Sunshine State, made all the more obvious by the way they discussed each other's relationship early in the 2025 season.
"We've been friends on and off the field. He trusts me and I trust him," Hoffmann said back in September. "I feel like having a relationship means a lot on the field. When things get hard, we know how to talk to each other and get back right."
Bailey also played alongside offensive lineman Rico Jackson, a native of Fort Lauderdale, and tight end Preston Douglas, a Jupiter native, on the offensive side of things. All in all, the 2025 roster included 14 players from the Sunshine State. The Pack had several players from the Greater Miami Area, but there was more work to be done to turn NC State into a haven for others.
The Miami to Raleigh Pipeline
While no one but Bailey himself can speak to his intentions in November, the quarterback appeared to lay the foundations of the pipeline between his home area and his new school before the Wolfpack's matchup against his hometown Miami Hurricanes. While the game itself was a disaster for Bailey, his comments in the prelude included one move that seemed calculated in hindsight.
"JoJo Trader, Chance Robinson, Keelan Marion, Mark Fletcher, Malachi Toney, all of them," Bailey began. "All those guys I know, I don't want them talking (smack) to me after the game, so we got to go win it all."
Let’s work! #Committed #Wolfpack 🐺 pic.twitter.com/m5taR4Gny5
— Chance J Robinson (@ChanceJRobinso1) January 9, 2026
The second name he listed stuck out. Robinson hadn't played much with the Hurricanes and didn't appear likely to get reps against his old seven-on-seven teammate, Bailey. But the Wolfpack quarterback didn't leave out his old friend. A few months later, Robinson entered the transfer portal and visited Raleigh. Shortly after, he committed, intending to rejoin Bailey at the collegiate level.
While one comment didn't decide for Robinson, the appeal of playing with Bailey, who helped Chaminade Madonna Prep to an undefeated regular season and state title in 2022, appealed to the young wideout. The dominoes began to fall after that. The Wolfpack quietly worked the connection to one of the nation's hotbeds for football talent.
The Pack added talented safety King Mack, a prominent recruit out of well-known NFL producer St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale. Robinson was also an alum. Then, the team and its quarterback turned its attention back to the offense. While the running back position was likely safely in the hands of Duke Scott, a little help couldn't hurt.
Getting a win off the field against UNC only sweetened a stretch of football victories for the Wolfpack against the Tar Heels. NC State was able to secure a commitment from Bailey's teammate at Chaminade Madonna, running back Davion Gause. With the team in Chapel Hill, Gause never got the chances he was looking for. Now, he'll be comfortable in the backfield alongside his old quarterback.
While NC State fans shouldn't expect Bailey's presence with the program to lure in the white whale of his high school career, fellow Chaminade Madonna alum and former teammate Jeremiah Smith, it's clear Bailey's presence is affecting the recruiting and portal strategy. As it currently stands, the Pack will take the field with 12 players from the Greater Miami Area in 2026. It's safe to say the program has built Bailey a home away from home.
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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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