The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1530878
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025 ■ 21 "The offseason is different when you know going into that next phase who the guy is you're looking at," Doeren said. "CJ's ready to run the show." 'Ahead Of His Time' A midyear enrollee in the class of 2024, Bailey began earning Doeren's confidence during spring practice and fall camp as he whizzed the ball around, looking more mature than the average freshman quarterback. When his op- portunity arrived unexpectedly early, Bailey dazzled nearly every step of the way. Starting eight games during the reg- ular season, he completed 177 of 276 passes for 2,183 yards, with 14 touch- downs and 9 interceptions. His 64.1 percent completion rate was the best for a freshman in program history, and so was his 140.8 efficiency mark. He also boasted the second-most passing yards by an FBS freshman even though his first attempt didn't come until the season's third week. His first career start was against Clemson in front of 81,500 raucous fans in Death Valley on Sept. 21 in place of the injured McCall. Welcome to col- lege football. Bailey was 16 of 25 for 204 yards, with a touchdown and an inter- ception in a 59-35 loss. As disappointing as it was, the defeat opened the newcomer's eyes to what college football is and what it takes to be successful. "It was fast-paced, and I had to adjust mid-game. Even though I came in with good intentions, I wasn't ready," Bai- ley said. "I wasn't ready for the game. Those guys came fast. I had to learn this is big time, I've got to step up and change the way I do everything." Bailey started against Northern Il- linois the following week, earning his first collegiate win. And when he made his next start after McCall's second concussion a couple of weeks later, Bai- ley took his game to a new level. The Miami native logged a 70.8 per- cent completion rate for 329 yards and 2 touchdowns with a pick against Syr- acuse on Oct. 12, then followed it up by throwing for 306 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a comeback win against California. Bailey was the only true freshman in college football to record back-to-back 300-yard passing games this season. Even though his streak was snapped against Stanford, he was still magnifi- cent with a 90 percent completion rate and 3 touchdowns in a 59-28 win. That three-game stretch showed what Bailey was capable of, even though freshman mistakes followed against Duke (a season-low 41 percent comple- tion rate) and at Georgia Tech (3 inter- ceptions, two of which led to touch- downs in a 1-point loss). Bailey, however, shook off the rough patch. He helped lead NC State past North Carolina in the season finale with 242 yards, 2 touchdowns and an inter- ception on 70 percent passing. The vic- tory included an astonishing 44-yard completion to redshirt freshman wide- out Noah Rogers to set up the decisive touchdown with less than a minute to play. "CJ's got it all," redshirt freshman running back Hollywood Smothers said after the win. "He's back there calm. He's a leader in the huddle every time. He's got all the intangibles back there, and we trust him with the ball in his hands. He made a lot of big plays, es- pecially for a guy his age. As a freshman quarterback … he's ahead of his time." A Team Leader By qualifying for the Military Bowl, NC State earned the opportunity to continue practicing. Those sessions will help the Pack get ready for its meet- ing with East Carolina on Dec. 28. More than that, they'll help Bailey get ready for his sophomore season. Under the tutelage of Doeren and quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper, he gained more than just an understanding of X's and O's during his first season. He also laid a firm foundation for the next campaign, when the Pack will be looking to build on its performance in 2024. Bailey said the biggest takeaway from his debut season was to always be mind- ful of his responsibilities to his team- mates. "I learned that when you're the starter, and you're the guy for the team, everybody is depending on you," he said. "You have to come in with a differ- ent mindset. You have to come in every day knowing that you're the guy." Having gotten off to a strong start, he's looking to take an even bigger step forward next fall. And he's going to do it with the Wolfpack, not some other team. "It's good that other people have in- terest in me, but this is where my heart is at, this is where my head is at," he said. "I love Coach Doeren. I love Coach Roper. This is where I want to be." ■ " I always had plans of coming back. I've enjoyed my time here and I've enjoyed being with these coaches and guys. The fan base is amazing. Why would I leave?" Bailey ■ CJ Bailey Game-By-Game* Opponent Comp. Att. Int. Pct. Yds. TD Long Rush Yds. TD Long Tennessee 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 2 7 0 11 Louisiana Tech 13 20 1 65.0 156 0 34 4 27 1 12 at Clemson 16 25 1 64.0 204 1 36 7 -13 0 7 Northern Illinois 13 20 0 65.0 109 1 34 10 22 1 10 Wake Forest 28 42 1 66.7 272 2 24 4 -1 0 8 Syracuse 17 24 1 70.8 329 2 75 7 28 0 28 at California 25 36 0 69.4 306 2 41 15 -7 0 10 Stanford 18 20 0 90.0 234 3 40 6 19 0 17 Duke 16 39 1 41.0 184 1 26 10 36 0 8 at Georgia Tech 17 30 3 56.7 147 0 28 9 83 3 31 at North Carolina 14 20 1 70.0 242 2 44 14 54 0 14 Totals 177 276 9 64.1 2,183 14 75 88 255 5 31 * Did not play in season opener versus Western Carolina