The Impact of CJ Bailey's Return on NC State Football

NC State got some of the best news it could've hoped for on the second day of 2026. Talented quarterback CJ Bailey announced his intention to return for his junior season in Raleigh, silencing doubts over a potential exit from the young signal caller after a solid sophomore year.

Bailey's return is a massive win in the retention battle for the Wolfpack on the day the transfer portal opened. On this episode of the NC State Insider Podcast, host and lead beat writer Tucker Sennett breaks down the impact of the young quarterback's decision to return to the Wolfpack and why it might take the program to the next level that fans have been yearning for.

Check out the episode here

More on Bailey's return

Before the Wolfpack's win in the Gasparilla Bowl, Bailey indicated that he wanted to spend time with his family before deciding his future with the program. This caused some skepticism and concern for NC State fans for the period between the comments and the game, as Bailey likely would've been among the most coveted transfer quarterbacks in the portal had he left.

Any noise about Bailey stemmed from his Florida roots, as the Miami Hurricanes entered his high school recruitment cycle late and tried to poach him from NC State, but he chose Doeren and the Wolfpack instead. As his play improved in his sophomore season, some analysts speculated that he might be a fit back in his hometown in South Florida, but his ugly two-interception performance quelled those concerns.

Nov 15, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; NC State Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey (11) looks on against the Miami Hurricanes during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The biggest development for Bailey between his freshman and sophomore years was his leadership. He stepped up as one of the offensive team captains despite playing less than a full season as a freshman. His reaction to the team's loss and subsequent brawl at the 2024 Military Bowl earned him the respect of his head coach.

"As a player, the one big emphasis that I had this year was to be good at my leadership, which was really great," he said, before the Gasparilla Bowl win. "As for my skill set, I'll say, just being able to take what they give me... We had a lot of shots this year... My biggest thing this year was just finding those layoffs, getting the ball out of my hand, and making good decisions."

Back with the Pack.
QB1 returns.
Let’s go to work. 🐺🔴 @PackFootball pic.twitter.com/QlJGbDdebb
— Dave Doeren (@StateCoachD) January 2, 2026

Getting Bailey back in the building is one of the best moves by Dave Doeren and the Wolfpack front office staff in several years. Now, the program can begin to supplement its quarterback of the future with talent around him, as well as rebuild a defense losing loads of talent to graduation.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @WolfpackOnSI and @SennettTucker for more episodes of the NC State Insider Podcast.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE