NC State Junior Quarterback CJ Bailey:
“We Have One Goal: ACC Title, Playoff”
By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
(last updated July 21, 2026)
NC State junior quarterback CJ Bailey, a National Football League prospect who posted more than 3,000 passing yards last season, visited with the North Carolina Sports Network at the ACC Kickoff event in Charlotte on Wednesday.
“That’s our whole mindset: winning the ACC championship,” Bailey said. “I feel like nobody on our team is a selfish guy or cares just about his own game. We all have one goal, and that’s the ACC championship and making it to those playoffs and going on a run. We’re trying to change the narrative of the program, the whole thing,”
Below are samples from Bailey’s extended Q&A session with NCSN. For the entire interview, please check out the YouTube video HERE or below.
DG: Even though the NCAA has anti-tampering rules, we know that other schools contacted you about transferring and offered you big money, despite the fact that you never put your name in the transfer portal. What can you tell us about that process, and why did you stay at NC State?
Bailey: “I always thought about the future. I was always blown away by what Coach (Dave) Doeren and Coach (Kurt) Roper did for me. It’s big. I always kept that loyalty factor; they were loyal to me, and I’m being loyal back to them.
They’re preparing me for the future. They’re preparing me for the next level, and I can’t mess that up. The city of Raleigh is amazing. I like being in Raleigh; it’s a great feeling. Good fans, good people everywhere you go. So I’m glad to be back.”
DG: Coach Doeren talked about your decision to remain at NC State having a personal aspect and a transactional aspect, and he elaborated today on that personal part, meaning the depth of his long-term relationship with you and your family. How do you describe that personal part of your decision to stay?
Bailey: “That personal aspect is the most key thing in making decisions. I’ve been with Dave for a little minute, been with Kurt Roper. I’ve been seeing their families. I enjoy spending time with them. We spend a lot of time together. We shed tears together. We bled together. We did everything. We won and lost together.
“You don’t get that nowhere else. I can’t honestly say I could go to another school right now and I’d have someone on the coaching staff where we went through a lot together. Being with Coach Doeren and Coach Roper has been amazing for me.”
DG: How about the transactional part? Coach Doeren admitted that you would be somewhere else if NC State didn’t step up with a competitive amount of revenue-sharing money and/or Name-Image-Likeness money. What can you share about that part of this decision, and how have you handled having so much cash at only 20 years old?
Bailey: “I’ve been low-key with (my NIL money). I will say that my biggest purchase was my car. I bought a (Mercedes) AMG GLE. It’s a good car, but I’ve been low-key with it. I’m not trying to splurge.”
DG: Another exciting part of your offseason has been reuniting with two of your childhood friends. Running back Davion Gause has transferred in from UNC, and wide receiver Jojo Trader has transferred in from Miami. How far back do you go with those guys, and what are your thoughts about them joining not just your team but your offensive unit specifically?
Bailey: “I grew up with them. We’ve been playing with each other since seven, eight years old. We carried that through high school and now college. It’s been a great experience being with those guys.
“That’s a very personal relationship. They trust me; we’ve been through a lot together. They know that I’m a good player; they’re great players. They can help us out at NC State. I’m ready to see what they do this year.”
DG: Coach Doeren mentioned today that NC State has beaten rival UNC five straight times. The Wolfpack also has beaten the Tar Heels in eight of the last 10 head-to-head matchups. When you first arrived in Raleigh in 2024, as a guy who grew up somewhere else (south Florida), how long did it take for you to learn to hate Carolina?
Bailey: “Coming in, my freshman year, I knew about the rivalry, of course. But I didn’t really grow into it until a couple weeks before that game (in 2024). It was just like the feeling of the building, and the feeling of everything, changed as soon as they heard that Tar Heel name or as soon as they knew they were going to play the Tar Heels. It was like, everybody’s on goal; we’ve got to do this. Actually, playing the game, there were a lot of fights, a lot of crazy stuff going on, and our fans are big on that.
“I do give Davion Gause a lot of crap about UNC. We used to go at it, but now he’s with us, and we’re locked in, baby.”
DG: There’s a lot of talk about the Wolfpack’s schedule being a lot more manageable this season. You don’t have to play at nationally ranked Notre Dame or at nationally ranked Miami; those were both lopsided losses last year. Do you believe your team is capable of winning the ACC championship this year, or maybe winning 10 or more games for just the second time in program history, and are those things you talk about as players and coaches here in the preseason?
Bailey: “That’s really important around our building, especially with the players. That’s our whole mindset: winning the ACC championship. I feel like nobody on our team is a selfish guy or cares just about his own game. We all have one goal, and that’s the ACC championship and making it to those playoffs and going on a run.
“We’re trying to change the narrative of the program, the whole thing, It was only one time that we won 10 (or more) games, and we’re going to change that this year. I honestly, cold-hearted, believe that we’re gonna change that this year. We’re all a brotherhood, and we all have the same mindset and same intentions, and that’s gonna carry us a long way.”
