24 ■ THE WOLFPACKER
BY NOAH FLEISCHMAN
here's a sense of relief in Dave Do-
eren's voice. He's noticeably com-
fortable talking about his quarterback
situation, which for the first time in
three years isn't the result of transfer
portal shopping or a position battle.
After what CJ Bailey showed as an
emergency fill-in during his freshman season,
there's no reason why the Pack's 13th-year coach
would be nervous going into fall camp. For the first
time since Devin Leary was under center in 2022,
a Wolfpack signal-caller is entering his second
season as the team's starting quarterback.
To Doeren, who had the luxury of a return-
ing starter with Jacoby Brissett and Ryan
Finley early in his Wolfpack tenure, Bailey
provides stability for a team that is looking
to improve from its 6-7 finish in 2024.
"Programmatically, it's better when you
have a returning starter that you're excited
about," Doeren said. "Team-wise, the locker
room is better. You want that. You don't always
get that as a head coach. … There are longstand-
ing relationships, even though it's just a year,
with CJ that make the offseason way different for
the football team."
T
Pressed into emergency duty last fall, Bailey completed 64.9 percent
of his passes for 2,413 yards and 17 touchdowns.
PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE FOOTBALL
FIELD
GENERAL
Returning Starter CJ Bailey
Takes Command
Of NC State's Offense
