NC State Staff Visits Elite 2027 Offensive Lineman
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With the 2026 college football transfer portal window coming to a close, NC State head coach Dave Doeren and his staff are shifting their focus back to the high school recruiting trail as they continue targeting some of the top prospects in the 2027 class.
The Wolfpack has already made progress with several 2027 recruits, including a four-star offensive lineman whom NC State offensive line coach Garett Tujague recently visited.
Garrett Tujague Visits Four-Star 2027 Offensive Lineman
On Jan. 14, Tujague traveled to Poquoson High School to visit Carter Jones, a four-star offensive lineman from Poquoson, Virginia. Jones thanked Tujague for visiting him on X, writing, “Thank you very much [Coach Tujague] for coming to see me today!
Thank you very much @Coach2J for coming to see me today!! #gopack🐺@StateCoachD @PackFootball pic.twitter.com/e1Kizzo99o
— Carter Jones (@carterjonesfb) January 16, 2026
Jones has been one of NC State’s top targets throughout the 2027 recruiting cycle. The Wolfpack extended him an offer in February 2025, and Doeren and his staff have continued to pursue the four-star lineman since.
The Virginia native is among the top recruits in the 2027 class and holds offers from nearly 40 Division I programs. Rivals’ industry rankings list him as the No. 320 overall player nationally, the No. 21 interior offensive lineman, and the No. 6 prospect from Virginia.
At the start of the new year, Jones narrowed his list of schools to 10 and didn’t include NC State. While that’s not ideal for the Wolfpack, it’s clear that with Tujague visiting the young offensive lineman, NC State isn’t ready to give up on his recruitment just yet.
While it appears NC State is falling behind in Jones’s recruitment, Tujague’s trip to Poquoson could help the Wolfpack gain ground, as he recently told Rivals’ Chad Simmons that a strong relationship with a program's coaching staff will be a significant factor in his final decision.
Jones is scheduled to take official visits with Tennessee, Virginia, and Penn State this month and is expected to visit several additional programs in the coming months before finalizing his decision. Although NC State probably isn’t at the top of Jones’ visit list, Doeren and his staff should push to bring him to campus in Raleigh for a visit sometime this spring if they want a chance to land him.
It’s currently a long shot for the Wolfpack to win the battle for Jones, but it’s clear that NC State is trying to make a late push for the four-star offensive lineman, as evidenced by Tujague’s visit.
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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.