What NC State Fans Should Know About Preston Edmead
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RALEIGH — First-year coach Justin Gainey made a crucial addition to the backcourt of his first NC State roster for the 2026-27 season when he earned a commitment out of the transfer portal from former Hofstra guard Preston Edmead on Saturday.
The CAA Rookie of the Year visited the Wolfpack beginning Friday and made his decision 24 hours later. Having already solved part of the backcourt puzzle last week with Christian Hammond, Edmead offers the Wolfpack a completely different brand of basketball that should help replace the heaps of production that walked out on the program after the messy exit of former coach Will Wade.
The point guard of the future?
Edmead will solve many offensive problems for NC State as it fills out its roster over the next month. As a freshman at Hofstra, Edmead burst onto the scene with a team that performed admirably in the NCAA Tournament, battling the Alabama Crimson Tide to the bitter end in the first round back in March. The new Wolfpack guard scored 24 points in that loss, keeping his team in the fight.
He finished the season scoring 16.1 points per game, while also chipping in 4.4 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game for the Pride. As for his shooting, Edmead buried 38.7% of his 3-point attempts, even when taking over seven shots from deep in each game. That number ranked third in the CAA during the 2025-26 season.
Hofstra freshman Preston Edmead (@PrestonEdmead) is entering the transfer portal, he tells me.
— Rising Ballers Network (@dylan_lutey) April 6, 2026
Averaged 16.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 4.4 APG, 40.1% FG, 38.7% 3FG.
Had 24/4/4 vs Alabama in round 1 of the NCAA Tournament.
10 games with 20+ points on the season. pic.twitter.com/eOWJ7kceCh
Despite limited experience playing college basketball, Edmead made a lot of the right reads as a freshman. He averaged 2.2 turnovers, a number that Gainey will work to bring down as he mentors the young guard into a potential lead guard for the Pack moving forward. Hofstra used its freshman guard frequently, as he finished with a 24.9% possessions used number, according to KenPom.
With the ball in his hands frequently, Edmead thrived. He was an efficient passer and scorer, which should work alongside a player like Hammond in the backcourt if that's the duo Gainey plans to roll with moving forward. The Hofstra transfer can keep the ball on a string and navigate through physicality despite being on the smaller side, something he proved against Alabama. His shiftiness with the ball, combined with his speed, should make him ACC-ready offensively.
Size concerns
Edmead is listed as 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, making him on the smaller side for a high-major guard. With the trend toward bigger lineups across the sport, there is some risk to rolling with an undersized point guard in the ACC, especially on the defensive end. While he has the speed to stay attached, Edmead might be pushed around by more physical high-major guards with NC State.
Alabama showed little fear attacking the Hofstra freshman during the NCAA Tournament game, primarily due to his size. If Gainey truly wants to build his Wolfpack team on toughness and defense, he'll either need major strides from Edmead as a defender or lots of help in the starting five to hide the undersized guard from being picked on by matchup-hunting guards in conference play.
The same concerns don't necessarily exist on the offensive end, but there is likely to be a steep learning curve for Edmead when facing ACC competition every night. However, the guard showed his strength as a shotmaker and shot creator during his freshman season with Hofstra, displaying a nifty ability to put floaters up and in around the rim, while also being able to finish through contact.
NC State is getting a serious offensive talent with three years of eligibility left in Edmead. Gainey will do everything he can to make sure it all translates to the Wolfpack, but it's hard to envision a world where Edmead isn't a contributor in some way for his new team.
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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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