The NC State football program got some huge news on Friday.

Star quarterback CJ Bailey officially announced via Instagram that he will return to NC State for the 2026 season.

Bailey would have been one of the best available signal-callers if he had decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal.

Instead, he will be back with a Wolfpack team that went 8-5 in 2025 and finished the season on a three-game winning streak, capped off by a 31-7 victory over Memphis in the Gasparilla Bowl.

Following a strong 2024 freshman campaign, Bailey completed 68.8 percent of his passes for 3,105 yards and 25 touchdowns with nine interceptions as a sophomore in 2025, while also rushing for 215 yards and six more scores on 89 carries.

For his career, the two-year starter has completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 5,518 yards and 42 touchdowns with 19 interceptions, to go with 494 rushing yards and 11 rushing scores.

Clemson is not slated to face NC State during the 2026 regular season.