CJ Bailey Joins Yet Another Preseason Award List
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NC State quarterback CJ Bailey joins another preseason award watch list after being named to the 2025 Manning Award Watch List. The announcement came from the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Thursday, and the list includes 27 of the top quarterbacks in the nation heading into the 2025 season.
Manning Award Watch List x @Cedrickbailey11
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) August 14, 2025
📰: https://t.co/t9uPlNFsUr pic.twitter.com/jC4uBaDSeH
It’s the second list Bailey was named to, as earlier he was named to the Maxwell Preseason watch list. The Maxwell Award is given to the most outstanding player in college football.
He joins three other ACC quarterbacks, including Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, Georgia Tech’s Haynes King and SMU’s Kevin Jennings, putting him in some well-respected company.
Bailey was thrust into the starting role after Grayson McCall had an injury last season. In his true freshman year, Bailey quickly became one of the top freshmen in the country, starting nine games, passing for 2,413 yards, and scoring 17 total touchdowns. His passing yardage was ranked second nationally among true freshmen, and he earned a passing efficiency of 143.97.
His 17 touchdown passes are ranked second most by a freshman, only behind program legend Phillip Rivers and tied with Russel Wilson.
2025 Season
As Bailey enters his sophomore season, Wolfpack fans are eager to see how he’s developed. He showcased a lot of poise and impressive playmaking abilities last season, but left room for improvement. It’s natural for a true freshman to lack some anticipation and awareness of pressure, so it’s not the end of the world for Bailey.
He’s said he put on 20 pounds of good weight in the offseason to help combat the physicality needed to play quarterback in the ACC. He’ll certainly have his challenges this upcoming season, the biggest of which is a road matchup against Notre Dame. It’ll certainly be a tough environment, and it should be a good test to see how Bailey commands an offense on the road.
Another day closer to week 1️⃣#1Pack1Goal pic.twitter.com/kukKmReH2L
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) August 13, 2025
Bailey has solidified himself as the leader of the offense.
“He’s a dog,” Utah State transfer Teague Andersen said. “He’s done a really good job stepping into the leadership role … and like you can just tell he’s starting to mature a lot and just be smarter with his decisions and everything.”
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Daniel Rios graduated from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. His deep passion for sports has taken him to positions at ESPN and Cronkite News. Currently, he serves as the Assistant Beat Writer for the North Carolina State Wolfpack On SI.
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