{"id":5024,"date":"2026-07-20T11:04:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T11:04:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5024"},"modified":"2026-07-20T11:04:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T11:04:15","slug":"other-schools-tampered-to-lure-cj-bailey-out-of-raleigh-why-he-stayed-with-nc-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5024","title":{"rendered":"Other schools tampered to lure CJ Bailey out of Raleigh. Why he stayed with NC State"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

The N.C. State roster features 50 newcomers. That\u2019s the norm now. Player retention is rare \u2014 even at some of the biggest and best programs \u2014 and having a star player stick around is less common.<\/p>\n

Read more NC romance turns scorched-earth legal battle for control of Rougemont castle<\/a><\/p>\n

CJ Bailey is good at smashing expectations.<\/p>\n

The junior quarterback announced his return<\/a> on Jan. 2, but his mind was made up long before.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew where I wanted to be. I wanted to be with N.C. State,\u201d Bailey said at ACC Kickoff on Wednesday. \u201cI told Coach (Dave) Doeren and I told Coach (Kurt) Roper, \u2018I want to be here. Don\u2019t even worry about it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

That didn\u2019t stop speculation that he might transfer for more money, especially after Terrell Anderson, Noah Rogers and Hollywood Smothers opted to pursue other opportunities. It felt like a situation of, \u201cWhere there\u2019s smoke, there\u2019s fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those fears weren\u2019t completely unfounded. Bailey recently confirmed on a podcast, and again this week, that other teams contacted him after N.C. State\u2019s bowl game. At no point did he enter the transfer portal. Under NCAA rules, coaches and staff members are not allowed to contact players from other programs unless they are in the portal. This has happened for years, but the issue has been pushed to the forefront because of the transfer portal and NIL.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s sad that kind of tampering is happening, but it is. We all know it is,\u201d N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren said. \u201cBut sometimes you get to boast about somebody doing it right versus the opposite.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bailey\u2019s refusal to seriously entertain efforts to lure him from the Wolfpack speaks to his character and the way he was raised, Doeren said.<\/p>\n

The longtime head coach is also proud of the program\u2019s environment, which Bailey said was a key reason he wanted to stay. He values the personal connections he has with Doeren, offensive coordinator Kurt Roper, his teammates and the support staff.<\/p>\n

Why would he give that up and have to start over? Why would he want to learn a new offense when this one has been tailored to his strengths? Bailey has also learned that not everyone has his best interests at heart. That\u2019s not the case at N.C. State. Why would he go somewhere that doesn\u2019t value him, his family or his future?<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s just not smart of me,\u201d Bailey said. \u201cThat\u2019s not right. \u2026 We\u2019re going to take over by standing together, believing in each other, keeping the main thing the main thing. Don\u2019t let off-the-field stuff influence us. Always stay inside the building.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Coming soon to downtown Raleigh: a garage that parks your car for you<\/a><\/p>\n

The Wolfpack has been loyal to him. It\u2019s only right that he stay.<\/p>\n

Bailey, 20, originally from South Florida, said Raleigh has become his home away from home. Everywhere he goes, he meets good people \u2014 at practice, in the dining hall, in class, in the community and even \u201cgetting a freaking facial.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnywhere in Raleigh I go, there\u2019s gonna be a good person there,\u201d Bailey said. \u201cYou can\u2019t say that about anywhere else in the country. You can\u2019t guarantee that.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Bailey steps onto the field, myriad things could be floating around his head. He could be thinking about a specific play call, which defenders he needs to be mindful of, or reminders from Roper. Lately, though, he\u2019s been thinking a lot about Doeren.<\/p>\n

Bailey desperately wants to win the ACC.<\/p>\n

Yes, he wants to do it for himself, the team and the community, but there is a deep desire to help Doeren finally earn a championship. He\u2019s won a conference title, and even an FCS national title, at his previous stops. That has eluded him<\/a> at N.C. State.<\/p>\n

The third-year quarterback knows the behind-the-scenes work that fans don\u2019t see, the personal investment Doeren makes in each player and the pressure to win.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been through a lot. God knows what he has been through, and winning that would take all that off him,\u201d Bailey said. \u201cIf we win this ACC Championship, it takes a lot of stress off of him and his family. You know what I\u2019m saying? I often think about that when I\u2019m out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though the Wolfpack, at least on paper, doesn\u2019t necessarily pop in the recruiting rankings. There are position groups with question marks.<\/p>\n

But it has a proven leader and playmaker in the backfield.<\/p>\n

This is the second consecutive season with a returning QB since Devin Leary. From 2022-25, N.C. State had four different starting quarterbacks (Leary, 2022; Brennan Armstrong, 2023; Grayson McCall, 2024; and Bailey, 2025).<\/p>\n

\u201cTrust the process. We\u2019re here,\u201d Bailey said. \u201cN.C. State football is back, and we\u2019re gonna go all the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Amazon closes another major facility, nearly 500 workers affected<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Junior quarterback CJ Bailey says loyalty to NC State, trust in the staff and a desire to win the ACC kept him in Raleigh, despite tampering by other schools.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5023,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nOther schools tampered to lure CJ Bailey out of Raleigh. 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