The Impact of Terrell Anderson's Exit on NC State
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RALEIGH — When NC State found out about the exit of star wide receiver K.C. Concepcion in late 2024, major questions about the team's wide receiver room emerged. The Wolfpack had a very young group joined by veteran pass catcher Wesley Grimes, a transfer from Wake Forest who joined the program before the 2024 season.
The Pack finished 2025 with an 8-5 record and the versatile group of wideouts helped sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey take tremendous steps as a passer in his second season with the program. One member of the receiver group who broke out as a sophomore himself was Terrell Anderson. Unfortunately for NC State, Anderson announced his intention to transfer just before Christmas.
Can NC State survive without Anderson?
NC State standout wide receiver Terrell Anderson is entering the transfer portal, his agent @bnm_nil tells me and @chris_hummer.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 24, 2025
Led NC State with 629 receiving yards this season. pic.twitter.com/NiJdx9oDeH
In his second year with the Wolfpack, Anderson showed massive improvements in all aspects of his game. He finished the season with 39 receptions for 629 yards and five touchdowns. He put together a massive 166-yard, two-score performance against Duke early in the season, establishing himself as Bailey's go-to receiver target outside of tight end Justin Joly.
Given NC State's commitment to the run game and Bailey's tendency to spread the wealth fairly evenly, Anderson's numbers never exploded the way some thought they might after the Duke game. However, his dynamic talent always made him a threat. He took a screen pass 75 yards in the loss to the Blue Devils, while catching several deep shots from Bailey throughout the rest of the season.
Losing the sophomore wide receiver was the second major blow in the retention face of the offseason for NC State, having already lost redshirt sophomore running back Hollywood Smothers to the transfer portal, and potentially, the NFL draft. Anderson didn't redshirt during his freshman season, so he'll go into the portal with two guaranteed seasons of eligibility and a heap of potential.
Out of high school, Anderson was a four-star recruit that 247Sports predicted would end up at Georgia, before NC State swooped in and stole the Greensboro native away. He was on the list for several prominent programs in the Big 10 and SEC, including Tennessee, Auburn, Florida, Michigan and Penn State.
Terrell Anderson is one of MANY ridiculously talented WR prospects who will become eligible for the NFL Draft in 2027 pic.twitter.com/B2OMOPnDzA
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) November 22, 2025
As for the Wolfpack, the receiver room is still in a holding pattern of sorts in the retention battle, with uncertainty about Bailey's future still in the air. As it stands, Grimes and Anderson would be the only members of the room leaving, with Teddy Hoffmann, Keenan Jackson, Noah Rogers, and players like Jonathan Paylor and Je'rel Bolder still in the mix.
The picture will become clearer over the next few weeks before the portal officially opens in early January.
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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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