NC State’s CJ Bailey takes ‘a big step forward’ in second season as quarterback
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- CJ Bailey entered Year 2 with limited national recognition despite strong freshman stats.
- Bailey posted a QBR of 90.0 vs. Virginia, ranking No. 11 nationally and No. 2 vs. Power Four.
- Bailey posted 518 passing yards and 11 explosive plays through two games in 2025.
N.C. State football likes being the underdog, often thriving when it can fly below the radar, and so does its quarterback.
CJ Bailey, firmly in Year 2 as the starter, has received little attention, despite entering the year with one of the best freshman campaigns in Wolfpack history.
He finished tied for 7th in the ACC Preseason Player of the Year voting and, despite being named to the Maxwell and Manning Award watchlists, Bailey’s name doesn’t come up in the national conversation. He’s barely a blip on Google search trends for college quarterbacks, even when comparing him to those in the ACC.
Despite the lack of recognition, members of the Wolfpack have praised Bailey’s growth from his freshman to sophomore year.
“He’s playing at a high level,” head coach Dave Doeren said on Monday. “He sees things. He understands the system. He’s in command of the guys around him. He challenges people. He challenges himself. He has a knack for just knowing what to do. He knows who his guys are. He knows where to throw the football.
“And, what he does on the sideline as a leader, compared to last year is night and day. He’s always had positive energy and enthusiasm, but he has command now.”
The young QB has more confidence in himself and his teammates. Last season, Bailey didn’t know if or how much he was going to play. When he had to take over for an injured Grayson McCall, Bailey hadn’t played college football or taken many reps working with the other offensive starters..
Since his first start last fall, Bailey went through bowl game preparations, winter conditioning, spring ball and fall camp as the expected No. 1. He built relationships with the other offensive players, learning their strengths, weaknesses and tendencies — all factors leading to his growth as a quarterback.
He looks more comfortable, too. Doeren complimented the young quarterback’s poise and decision-making, knowing what to do under pressure in order to create positive plays.
Wake Forest head coach Jake Dickert also complimented Bailey this week, ahead of the matchup in Winston-Salem on Thursday.
“Bailey is taking a big step forward. He is playing quarterback now,” Dickert said with emphasis. “Last year, they were very cautious with him. He is playing quarterback and he has the keys to the car, and he is driving it.”
According to Pro Football Focus, Bailey finished last season with a 74.0 overall offensive grade, earning a 74.3 for passing and 61.6 for rushing.
He logged a 62.4 quarterback rating, according to ESPN, which ranked No. 61 nationally and No. 8 in the ACC. Cam Ward (Miami), Haynes King (Georgia Tech), Cade Klubnik (Clemson) and Kyle McCord (Syracuse) led the ACC in the metric.
Two games into the season, Bailey has a 79.7 overall offensive grade on PFF, which is the same as his passing grade, and a 63.5 rushing grade.
Bailey’s QBR through two games is listed at 84.7, which ranks No. 12 in the country and No. 4 in the ACC behind King, Carson Beck (Miami) and Thomas Castellanos (Florida State).
What also stands out is Bailey’s performance on Saturday against Virginia. While the N.C. State defense struggled, especially in the first half, the offense rolled and scored touchdowns on its first two drives and five in the game.
Bailey completed 16 of 23 passes for 200 yards, one touchdown and no turnovers. It was his ninth career 200-yard passing game. He added 44 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The performance was good enough to earn an 81.5 overall offensive grade on PFF, ranking No. 33 nationally and No. 4 among quarterbacks who faced Power Four opponents.
ESPN listed Bailey’s QBR at 90.0, ranking No. 11 in the nation and No. 2 among players who faced a major opponent.
He finished last season with 2,183 passing yards with a 64.1% completion rate; this year Bailey already has 518 passing yards on 70.2% of completions.
In two games, he’s thrown for 11 explosive plays of at least 15 yards and five with 25 yards or more.
“There’s a lot of people that can throw a football, there’s not many that can pass a football,” N.C. State offensive coordinator Kurt Roper said last week. “Passing a football incorporates 22 moving parts, a concept, a protection, a defensive coverage, a defensive pressure, and you’ve got to make a split decision in 2.8 seconds. His brain does that.”
The offense itself has also improved as a group. In two games, it allowed less pressure and gave him more time to throw. Last season, Bailey was sacked 1.6 times per game and through two contests he’s only been sacked once.
His teammates provided just under three seconds, 2.98, to throw the ball against Virginia, maintaining pocket integrity and limiting the defense’s ability to get off blocks.
There are still improvements to be made and the team wants more consistency, and Bailey said it’ll probably take a few more games to make an accurate comparison to last season.
That said, the early numbers prove a positive step forward and there’s enthusiasm about where the team can go with him at QB.
“I’m feeling good. Of course, you’ve got a lot of things to work on, but we’ve seen a lot of plays, a lot of explosive plays in these last two weeks,” Bailey said. “It’s going to get better throughout the year, and I’m very excited to see it.”
This story was originally published September 9, 2025 at 7:17 PM.
