Inside NC State’s Place in the Bizarre 2026 Recruiting Cycle

On this episode of the NC State Insider Podcast, we break down the Wolfpack's position in a strange recruiting year.

Mar 22, 2025; Providence, RI, USA; McNeese State Cowboys head coach Will Wade during the second half of a second round men’s NCAA Tournament game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

With just over a month until the 2025-26 season gets underway, NC State men's basketball and first-year head coach Will Wade have secured a commitment from just one recruit in the class of 2026.

While that might seem strange and cause fans some concern, the 2026 recruiting cycle has been slow for nearly every program in the country. Only one of the top 10 recruits in the nation has committed so far, meaning many top recruits are still in play for teams like the Wolfpack.

On this episode of the NC State Insider Podcast, host Tucker Sennett analyzes where NC State stands in the recruiting cycle so far and tries to explain just what is happening with the class of 2026.

Watch the episode here

While Wade and his general manager Andrew Slater are focused on finding future pieces for 2026, the Wolfpack head coach still has his eye on the upcoming season as a major opportunity to put NC State back on the map. The team began officially practicing last week and Wade met with members of the media to discuss his hopes for the 2025-26 campaign.

Here are some of the coach's most memorable quotes:

On his message about the roster to the Wolfpack fanbase

• Wade: "Man, I think I just said it. We're good. We've got a good team. A lot of coaches get up here and badmouth their teams. We're damn good... We're going to play hard. We're going to be fast and physical. We're going to get after you on both ends. We're going to be the aggressors on both ends. We're going to play for NC State."

• "We're going to be consistent. That's the biggest thing. We haven't had the consistency around here. It's like you said, we're like the Dow Jones. We're up and down... like the stock market. We've got to be a consistent stock. There's small growth every but you know what you're getting."

On the team's progress during the summer program

• Wade: "I think we're ahead of where I thought we would be at this point. Last time we met, we weren't all that healthy. We're as healthy as we've been. We'll be able to practice with 14 of our 15 players today. Only one who isn't cleared right now is Darrion Williams. He's going through concussion protocol. He's on the back end of that..."

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