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Transfer rumors surround NC State quarterback CJ Bailey.
The NC State football team fired Dave Doeren after a loss to Stanford on Friday night. Transfer rumors now surround starting quarterback CJ Bailey.
Will he leave the program and enter the portal in the offseason? It is a legitimate concern.
Bailey’s been a polarizing figure in Raleigh over the last three years. He broke through as a freshman, throwing 17 touchdowns. As a sophomore, he officially announced his presence to the ACC.
Bailey tossed 25 scores to just nine interceptions with 3,105 passing yards. The Wolfpack won eight games. The upward trajectory was expected to continue into 2026. It hasn’t.
CJ Bailey has struggled.
The third-year signal caller has been up and down as a junior. He started the year with a putrid 84-yard showing in a blowout loss to Virginia. Two weeks later, he fumbled on the final play of the game to lose vs. Vanderbilt.
He’s appeared to right the ship over his last four contests, averaging 280 yards a game with seven touchdowns. Unfortunately, the Wolfpack continues to lose.
NC State has dropped back-to-back contests vs. Wake Forest and Stanford. They are no longer in the ACC Title hunt. Dave Doeren was let go as a result of his latest loss. The school will pay him $10 million to stop working.
Will it lose Bailey as a result? There are whispers online.
The quarterback mulled a transfer last offseason following his stellar sophomore campaign. Ultimately, he chose to return to Raleigh.
“I heard a couple of schools out, and it just didn’t feel the same,” he said. “I wanted to be here.”
His mom didn’t necessarily feel the love. After the previously mentioned loss to Vanderbilt, she publicly bashed the fanbase for criticizing her son.
“CJ should’ve left when he had the chance!” she wrote on X. “For more money and a better team!”
The messages were deleted, but damage was done. His play has been put under the microscope after every loss. A transfer could certainly be on the table. NC State did little to quiet the noise this week.
NC State fuels transfer rumors.
The program posted a pregame photo promoting an upcoming matchup vs. Cal. CJ Bailey was not pictured. Instead, an image of his backup, Will Wilson, was used.
Is Bailey being replaced? Is he planning to leave NC State? No reports of a switch have been announced. There is likely no correlation between the post and his future.
With that said, many around the fanbase hope that it’s a signal of change. They’ve grown frustrated with Bailey’s inconsistency. Wilson is in his second year with the school. He’s been used mainly as a short-yardage rusher in 2026.
To this point, he’s thrown for 35 yards and rushed for eight scores, including two last week. He ran for 10 touchdowns last year as a freshman.
Personally, I don’t believe CJ Bailey has been benched. He could absolutely leave in the offseason, especially given his family’s past criticism. His status as starting quarterback may or may not impact his future portal decision.
Regardless, NC State did itself no favors by advertising Wilson over Bailey immediately after firing its head coach.