The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545830
JULY/AUGUST 2026 ■ 25 he got here. We haven't done that yet," Doeren said. "The NIL stuff matters, and we were able to get to a very competitive level, which allowed him to be at peace. He wanted to stay and had teammates who he wanted to play with. It was a win-win. It was great for them and great for us." Even though Bailey's affection for the program weighed heavily in his decision, that doesn't mean other programs didn't try to use third-party connections to gauge his interest in leaving. He wasn't in the portal, but Doeren isn't naïve about the kind of attention players receive even when they aren't looking around. "I'm not going to pretend there weren't people calling him, because I know that t h e re we re ," Do e re n sa i d . "There's a lot of BS that goes on right now in college foot- ball. I'm just proud of him f o r s t i c k i n g true to his val- ues and where he wanted to be. I'm proud of our school for being able to step up and give him an offer that made sense." Room For Growth Bailey made strides as a leader last sea- son, wearing the "C" on the left shoul- der of his NC State uniform with pride as the youngest captain in Doeren's first 13 seasons with the program. He worked to find his voice, picking his spots to speak up within the unit. And he wasn't afraid to say something to an older player, if needed, conversations that tended to be taken well by those on the receiving end. At the end of the day, the goal was to win. Bailey's leadership was going to be a key part of that effort, and it showed last season, with the Wolfpack rallying to win four of its last five games. Now that he's more comfortable run- ning the offense, NC State has a new set of goals it wants Bailey to work toward going into his third season as the starter. Roper wants him to continue refining his understanding of defenses. The Pack is looking for Bailey to grow more com- fortable identifying what the other unit on the field seeks to do on a given snap. "It's a process to learn how to play quarterback at this level," Roper said. "The process that you never stop is un- derstanding defenses. The more you un- derstand defenses, the better your plan can be before you ever snap the football. You can use all the film study that you have to apply to your decision-making on game day." Bailey was able to take a step forward in that area last season, a byproduct of start- ing all 13 games for the first time while also putting in effort in the meeting room. He was able to see improvement as the year progressed, including four 300-yard passing performances. Another priority is to develop consis- tency. The staff wants Bailey to be as com- fortable under the prime-time lights as he is in games that get less attention. " H e 's h a d a lot of great games for us, and there have b e e n a f e w where I know he wishes he had played better," Doeren said. "Some of that is the guys around him needing to play better as well, but I'd love to see him be consistent in some of these big games." The 2025 season provided a glimpse into Doeren's assessment. Bailey rose to the occasion against No. 8 Georgia Tech, throwing for 340 yards and 2 touchdowns with a 75 percent completion rate. But he fell flat at No. 16 Notre Dame (17-of-30 passing, 186 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 inter- ceptions) and at No. 16 Miami (17-of-30 passing, 120 yards, 2 interceptions). Bailey has what it takes to play well in big moments; the Georgia Tech victory proved that. NC State just wants to see that version of its starting quarterback more often. Bailey is 10-3 as a starter when he doesn't throw an interception, but he's 2-9 when he tosses one or more picks. Doeren said he thinks the quarterback might have put too much pressure on himself in some games. "Sometimes you get into those envi- ronments and you want to be different than you normally are," Doeren said. "He just needs to be himself. He's a special kid, he's a special player. Just go out there and play and have fun." ■ " That decision took a little while to come out, but I already had my mind set. I wanted to come back to NC State." Bailey Bailey's 3,105 passing yards last season ranked fifth in the ACC, while his 25 touchdown passes were fourth in the conference. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS