NC State Loses Three-Star 2026 Quarterback Signee
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NC State and head coach Dave Doeren did a solid job in the 2026 cycle, with their class ranked in the top 50 nationally after Early National Signing Day.
While there is typically little movement in the weeks after the signing period, NC State received some bad news when a three-star quarterback signee in their class reportedly requested his release from the program.
NC State Quarterback Signee Requests Release
On Dec. 21, The Wolfpackers' Noah Fleischman reported on X that Kaneal Sweetwyne, a three-star NC State quarterback signee from Skyridge High School in Lehi, Utah, had requested a release from the Wolfpack. Fleischman added that he expects NC State to approve Sweetwyne's request.
NC State QB signee Kaneal Sweetwyne, the Lehi (Utah) Skyridge 3⭐️ prospect, requested a release from the Wolfpack, I can confirm. It's expected to be approved.
— Noah Fleischman (@fleischman_noah) December 22, 2025
He committed and signed with the Pack on Dec. 3.
More here: https://t.co/0XfoBhX3jW pic.twitter.com/6nAEy16VF5
Sweetwyne had been one of NC State's top quarterback targets throughout the 2026 recruiting cycle. The Wolfpack initially extended an offer in September and hosted him on campus in Raleigh for an official visit in late November. He would go on to commit to and sign with the program on Dec. 3.
When a commit signs with a program, it typically means they are locked in with that school for the next season. However, in some cases, signees can request to be released from their commitments, and if the school approves, they can reopen their recruitment.
According to Fleischman's report, it appears that in this case, Doeren and the Wolfpack have approved Sweetwyne's request, and the young quarterback will be back on the open market, looking for a new team.
Currently, there is limited information about what led Sweetwyne to decide not to play for NC State over the past month. However, for one reason or another, it appears that the three-star quarterback will not be part of the Wolfpack's 2026 signing class.
Losing Sweetwyne is a significant blow to NC State's 2026 class. Rivals' industry rankings list him as the No. 939 overall player in the country, the No. 52 quarterback, and the No. 18 prospect from Utah.
The good news for NC State is that Sweetwyne was one of two quarterback signees in the Wolfpack's 2026 class, alongside Jacob Smith, a three-star signal-caller from Pfafftown, North Carolina. So, even with Sweetwyne’s departure, the program still has depth at the position heading into next season.
Still, it's never good to have a signee leave the team, and there was a chance that Sweetwyne could've developed into NC State's quarterback of the future. With the release of the signing, the quarterback position has now become a need for NC State in the 2027 cycle
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Max Doresy serves as the Western United States College Recruiting Beat Writer On SI. He graduated from the prestigious Syracuse University – S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Before that, he worked for the Pro Football Network and was part of the recruiting department for Syracuse University's football program.