Justin Joly Finds His Rhythm For NC State

RALEIGH, N.C. -- It took three games, but North Carolina State tight end Justin Joly finally made his way into the end zone. In fact, he was able to celebrate two touchdowns in the Wolfpack's 34-24 win over Wake Forest in Winston-Salem on Thursday.

Joly entered the 2025 season with expectations much higher than they were before the 2024 season. Despite sometimes being ignored in the game plans a season ago, Joly was the top target throughout the season and emerged as one of the nation's best returning tight ends.

Like his teammate, running back Hollywood Smothers, the stats don't matter to Joly. Winning matters most, but if the tight end is starting to wake up, NC State's opponents could be in trouble moving forward.

Aug 28, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack tight end Justin Joly (7) looks onto the stadium during the warmups prior to the game against East Carolina Pirates at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

The Week 3 Performance

Joly entered the game against Wake Forest with nine receptions for 68 yards and no touchdowns after two games. His improved blocking was the highlight of those first two games, something he credited his teammate Cody Hardy for helping him with that skill. Even with the emergence of sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey and his improved passing ability, Joly didn't seem to be as involved in the passing offense as many expected him to be.

Against Wake Forest, that all changed. After falling behind 14-0, Bailey led the Wolfpack deep into Demon Deacon territory to get the game back under control. On fourth-and-1, Bailey looked for his tight end on a play-action pass and found Joly wide open for his first touchdown of the season.

The #Vikings have solid representation at tonight’s NC State-Wake Forest game. NC State TE Justin Joly among the intriguing prospects. Vikings have ass’t director of personnel Chisom Opara there + scouts Sean Gustus and Steve Sabo. pic.twitter.com/OaMlJtRcBD
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) September 12, 2025

Joly had another catch later in the game where he boxed out a Wake Forest defender as if he were starting at power forward for Will Wade and the Wolfpack men's basketball team. He scored another short touchdown and ultimately finished with four receptions for 22 yards in the win.

Feeling Good

Getting in the end zone made Joly feel much better about 2025, but winning remained at the forefront of the tight end's mind after the Wake Forest game.

"We’ve got more games. Obviously, we want to make a statement in the ACC. We want to show people that we’re not the underdog. We’ve got some good guys on our team" Joly said after the win.

Joly will have another ACC matchup to prove himself in next week, as the Wolfpack takes on the Duke Blue Devils in Durham on Saturday.

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