Who are NC State's Two Latest Defensive Visitors?
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RALEIGH — With the transfer portal firing on all cylinders across college football, Dave Doeren and the NC State staff are working hard to bolster key positions of need for the 2026 roster. That process has already earned commitments from a handful of players in critical spots on both sides of the field for the Wolfpack.
Throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, the Pack welcomed Florida State defensive lineman Jaden Jones and Tulane edge rusher Harvey Dyson III, per a personal announcement from Jones and 247Sports. With two highly productive members of the pass rush on the way out of the program after graduating, both Dyson and Jones would be valuable additions.
Getting to know Dyson
Adding a member of a team that made a surprising run to the College Football Playoff would be a huge coup for the Wolfpack. Dyson put together an impressive 2025 season with the Green Wave before it lost to Ole Miss in the opening round of the CFP. With coach Jon Sumrall off to Florida, Dyson decided to enter the transfer portal and explore new opportunities.
He finished the season as a third-team All-Conference selection for the American Conference and was one of the Green Wave's most productive pass rushers. He racked up eight sacks, 24 total pressures, two forced fumbles and 36 total tackles. The talented edge rusher started his career at Texas Tech, appearing in 16 games with the Red Raiders.
Dyson, who will visit the NC State campus Wednesday, would be a prime candidate to replace standout linebacker Cian Slone in the team's unique JACK linebacker role. It is a spot that requires versatility and speed, two things Dyson displayed during his lone season with the Green Wave in New Orleans.
Because of the fact that there are no guarantees in the transfer portal world, it will be important for NC State to make as strong an impression as it can during his visit, potentially preventing Dyson from exploring other programs.
Getting to know Jones
Jones made his trip to Raleigh on Tuesday before a quick turnaround to check things out with the Missouri Tigers on Wednesday. During his time with the Seminoles, Jones didn't get much of an opportunity, logging just 171 snaps in the 2025 season and 59 in the 2023 season. He missed all of 2024 after sustaining an injury during the offseason.
He is expected to have two years of eligibility remaining. When he saw the field, Jones was strong in run defense according to Pro Football Focus, which graded him with a season-long score of 72.3 in that category. He tallied six pressures in his limited reps on the edge. While not as high profile as Dyson, Jones could be another project for Charley Wiles and DJ Eliot, who made Sabastian Harsh and Slone look like elite edge rushers throughout the 2025 campaign.
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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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