Good news, everyone!
NC State has retained its biggest piece for 2025. As Pack Pride reported earlier this evening, CJ Bailey has agreed to a new NIL deal that will keep him in the red and white in 2025. That is a very large relief.
Bailey became the starting quarterback a year ahead of schedule but made steady progress and proved that he can be a difference-maker at this level. His future clearly is a bright one, and in today’s game that means other schools were bound to try and get him into the portal. If that had ended up happening, this could have become a disaster offseason in a hurry.
Bailey’s return will hopefully make it a little easier to retain his most important supporting cast members in the running back and receiver rooms. Maybe that’s wishful thinking on my part.
Anyway, the only question at quarterback now is whether or not State feels like it needs to try to find a veteran in the portal who’d be willing to come in and serve as the backup—like the Jack Chambers addition a couple years back—given how green that position group is behind Bailey.
But the important business is done. Thank goodness.