NC State's Doeren says QB Bailey could be best in country

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Few quarterbacks in college football are better positioned for a breakthrough 2026 season than NC State's CJ Bailey.

The NC State junior enters his third season as a starter with an increasing amount of buzz, as he stood out among college quarterbacks at the recent Manning Passing Academy and has filled out physically at an imposing 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds.

"I think he could be the best in the country," NC State coach Dave Doeren told ESPN.

Bailey is coming off an 8-5 season as a starter for the Wolfpack in 2025. His 22 overall starts are the fifth most power conference starts by a quarterback at the same school.

That continuity, combined with physical and on-field development, has Bailey poised to improve on a 2025 season that saw him throw for 25 touchdowns, run for six more and finish third in the ACC completing 68.8% of his passes.

NC State hasn't had a quarterback taken in the first round since Philip Rivers went fourth overall in 2004. There's a chance Bailey's ascent could help break that streak of more than two decades.

"You should expect a lot," Bailey told ESPN about what to expect this year. "For one, expect us to win a lot of games. That's for sure. But for me, I just want to take a step with spreading the ball out and ... just being more of an athlete, using my legs in more crucial situations. Don't be hesitant to do anything. Be confident in my ability."

Bailey's physical size is at the root of the some of the confidence in his improvement. He entered college weighing nearly 195 pounds, and he's since filled in 25 pounds. That has given him the confidence to run the ball more, which Doeren sees as significant.

Bailey's confidence as a leader and a player have both grown.

"He's almost free to be himself because of how much the guy is respected [by his peers and coaches]," Doeren said. "And the second part is just his physical [development]. You heard him talk about running the ball now. He's 220 pounds. He thinks he's a badass. He used to be a stick."

Part of the narrative on Bailey will be that he's bloomed where he planted himself after high school. He is a Miami native, and he resisted significant transfer portal overtures to stay in Raleigh. He downplayed the decision to stick around, pointing to wanting to keep working with the people who believed in him and developed him.

"It would have been hard to walk away from [NC State]," he said. "This loyalty, this bond that I built with coach and the personal relationships I built at NC State and Raleigh. And not only knowing that, it's just like knowing that these coaches and the people that's around me is going to prepare me for my future and they've been doing a good job of it."

Bailey stuck amid a handful of NC State's high-end skill players leaving for bigger logo programs, including tailback Hollywood Smothers going to Texas, receiver Noah Rogers to Alabama and receiver Terrell Anderson to USC.

Doeren said he's had to "reframe" the conversation about departures in his mind, or "you just become a negative human being." He added.

"It doesn't bother me now," he said. "To me, it's now an opportunity to go find someone that wants to be on our football team and help him. And I've just had to reframe it. I do the best I can because we believe in retention almost more than we do acquisition, because I do believe in our development that we've proven we can develop players really well."

Bailey looms as a potential high-profile example of that. He's poised to make a further imprint on the NC State record books, as he's already seventh in career touchdowns responsible for (53), eighth in passing yards (5,518) and eighth in touchdown passes (42).

He said he's unfazed by departures on the offense and is leading the team to harness momentum.

"Now we're just moving on," he said. "It's just going to keep rolling. Now we got guys came in, pretty good team now and I'm ready to pour all into them."br/]