Wolfpack Could Reunite CJ Bailey With Another Former High School Teammate
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RALEIGH — To say NC State has leveraged quarterback CJ Bailey's connections to South Florida throughout transfer portal season would be an understatement. The Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory alum joined the Wolfpack after a storied career in Hollywood, Florida, alongside some of the most talented players in the nation.
Bailey already reunited with one former teammate through the transfer portal and the Wolfpack added a plethora of players he was familiar with from growing up in the same area and coming out of the same high school pipeline. Now, another one of his former teammates could be a final addition to the NC State roster, as Miami wide receiver Joshisa Trader entered the transfer portal just a few days after coming up short in the National Championship game.
Could Trader join the Wolfpack?
NEW: Miami WR Jojo Trader has entered the NCAA transfer portal, @PeteNakos reports.https://t.co/U31NaOwnr0 pic.twitter.com/1QUDqZzS9n
— On3 (@On3) January 23, 2026
News of Trader's entry to the portal broke Thursday night, not long after his team's 27-21 loss to Indiana in the College Football Playoff National Championship. While Trader wasn't a focal point in the Miami offense throughout the year, he did see the field more than fellow former Hurricane wideout Chance Robinson, who already joined Bailey and the Wolfpack earlier in the portal window.
Trader was able to enter the portal later than anyone else because his team participated in the championship game, which grants those players an additional allotment of days to make any such decisions. Should he be interested in joining NC State, he would need to move quickly, as classes are in session in Raleigh and the program would likely want him enrolled so he can participate in spring practices.
The name Trader should be familiar to Wolfpack fans. Before NC State traveled to face the Hurricanes in November, Bailey was asked about former teammates and friends who might have things to say on the field should the Wolfpack fall. Guess who the first name mentioned was?
"JoJo Trader, Chance Robinson, Keelan Marion, Mark Fletcher, Malachi Toney, all of them," Bailey began. "All those guys I know, I don't want them talking (smack) to me after the game, so we got to go win it all."
Trader and Bailey combined for 757 yards and 14 touchdowns in their final season at Chaminade-Madonna in 2023, with Trader securing a spot as a four-star recruit with the Hurricanes. Their fellow teammate, running back Davion Gause, already made the unprecedented move to transfer from UNC to NC State to reunite with his former quarterback.
There's no reason to think the Wolfpack won't make a run at Trader, with Bailey likely driving the appeal process.
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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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