NC State secondary loses two expected returners to transfer portal
Mere hours passed between the announcement that one N.C. State starting cornerback was entering the transfer portal before two other players gave notice as well.
Tamarcus Cooley and Devan Boykin joined Brandon Cisse in announcing their intent to leave the program, sharing their decisions Thursday night with On3 and 247Sports.
Cooley, from Knightdale, transferred from Maryland last offseason. In his lone season with the Wolfpack, he recorded 39 tackles, nine pass deflections, a pair of forced fumbles and three interceptions. Two interceptions took place in the Military Bowl loss. The corner has three seasons of eligibility remaining under the new transfer rules, implemented last year.
He was the highest-rated returning defender for N.C. State, according to Pro Football Focus, grading out at an 80.8 in 2024. He was particularly effective in coverage and rush defense, where Cooley graded out above 81 for the year.
The redshirt freshman had previously said he liked being close to home, because it allowed him to see his family more regularly.
“Playing in front of my sisters and my momma, just having them at my games, that means a lot to me. It makes me play harder,” Cooley said in October. “It’s home. Eventually, I was gonna have to come back, and I wanted to, because it’s where I belong.”
Boykin is also set to enter the transfer portal. The safety missed the 2024 season with an ACL injury that he sustained in December 2023. Boykin was cleared for practice in November, head coach Dave Doeren said, but the team was slowly reintegrating him into activities. Boykin finished 2023 with 54 tackles and three interceptions.
Boykin will have one year of eligibility remaining.
Like Cisse, Cooley and Boykin signed agreements with One Pack NIL indicating their return for 2025. The agreements are not legally binding and the collective cannot require enrollment. One Pack will not provide compensation for players who leave the program.
The announcements come days after N.C. State names DJ Eliot as the defensive coordinator to replace Tony Gibson. Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay was promoted to co-defensive coordinator and nickels/safeties coach. The program also announced Joe DeForest’s retirement on the same day as Eliot’s hire. DeForest coached safeties for the Wolfpack.
This story was originally published January 2, 2025 at 11:44 PM.
