NC State Named School to Watch For Big Ten Safety Transfer
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The 2026 college football transfer portal hasn’t been particularly beneficial for NC State and head coach Dave Doeren, as the Wolfpack have seen nearly 20 players transfer out of the program while bringing in only five transfers to date.
However, the portal remains open for about another week, and the Wolfpack is making progress with some of their top transfer targets. One former Michigan safety has recently named NC State as a school to watch in his recruitment.
Michigan Safety Transfer Eyeing NC State
On Jan. 9, “JGPCFB” on X reported that Jordan Young, a transfer portal safety from Michigan, told them NC State is among the early programs to watch in his portal recruitment, along with UCLA, Michigan, USC, and Vanderbilt.
Former Michigan Safety Jordan Young tells me Vanderbilt, USC, UCLA & NC State are the early schools to watch in his recruitment. A return to the Wolverines also remains a possibility.
— JGPCFB (@jgpvisuals) January 10, 2026
The 6'1", 195 lb S totaled 15 tackles & 3 PBUs this past season, including the game-winning PBU… pic.twitter.com/FrXJ9o4SS9
Young is a North Carolina native and was a four-star recruit in the 2025 class. The Wolfpack heavily pursued him, even hosting him on an official visit, but he ultimately committed to and signed with Michigan.
He appeared in ten games as a true freshman for the Wolverines in 2025, recording 15 tackles and defending three passes. After mulling over his options following Michigan’s dismissal of previous head coach Sherrone Moore, Young entered the transfer portal on Jan. 6.
Young will have three seasons of eligibility remaining at his next stop and would be a massive addition to NC State’s portal class if they were able to land him. Rivals’ transfer portal rankings list the Michigan transfer as a three-star prospect, the No. 140 overall player in the portal, and the No. 15 safety.
Given that Young is from North Carolina and has already built a strong relationship with Doeren and the rest of the Wolfpack staff, it would make sense for him to commit to NC State out of the portal.
As of right now, Young hasn’t announced any visit dates or even scheduled any trips, but NC State fans should expect the Wolfpack to try to host him on campus in Raleigh for an official visit sometime in the coming days.
Not only is Young talented, but he also has three years of eligibility remaining, making him a highly coveted portal player. Several programs will likely pursue him, and NC State will face stiff competition to land him.
Still, the Wolfpack appear well-positioned to win his portal recruitment, and if Doeren and his staff make the right moves over the next few days, there’s a strong chance they can add the Michigan transfer to their 2026 roster.
Keep it with NC State On SI for updates throughout the transfer portal process. Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @WolfpackOnSI and @SennettTucker and never miss another breaking news story again.
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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.