NC State: Possible Transfers to Watch

With head coach Dave Doeren being fired on Saturday morning, NC State players will have a 15-day window to enter the transfer portal five days after a new head coach is hired or publicly announced. Here are five players to keep an eye on as possible transfer targets if they decide to make themselves available once a new coach is hired:

QB CJ Bailey

• Junior
• 6-foot-6, 218-pounds
• Miami, Florida

The skinny: With his NFL Draft stock in limbo, Bailey will have to decide if he should risk making himself available or play one more collegiate season. The size and skillset are there, but his consistency continues to derail his growth. Even with the lack of consistency, if a 6-foot-6 quarterback who has passed for 7,281 yards and 53 touchdowns makes himself available, he would be extremely busy in the portal.

LB Elijah Satchell

• Freshman
• 6-foot-3, 242-pounds
• Camden, New Jersey

The skinny: True freshmen who make an immediate impact at the line-of-scrimmage at the P4 level are incredibly rare. While Satchell has mostly been utilized in specialized situations, he has totaled 14 tackles, five tackles for loss and four sacks. And his most productive games were his last two, when he combined for seven tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks. All eyes will be on Satchell to see how he finishes off the 2026 season.

WR Keenan Jackson

• Junior
• 6-foot-3, 194-pounds
• Waxhaw, North Carolina

The skinny: At 6-foot-3, Jackson has emerged as a major target this season with a team leading 30 receptions for 456 yards and six touchdowns. This is a noticeable jump in production, after he totaled 40 receptions for 405 yards and four touchdowns during his first two seasons. Teams looking for a physical perimeter weapon who can also stretch opposing defenses would target Jackson as a WR1 or WR2 portal addition.

S Ronnie Royal III

• Junior
• 5-foot-9, 190-pounds
• Gulf Shores, Alabama

The skinny: Royal offers versatility across the defensive backfield. While his size is slightly smaller than premium safety targets, a tough, athletic defensive back with multi-year P4 experience would receive heavy interest from teams needing to overhaul their secondary depth chart. Over his last 19 games he has totaled 78 tackles, three tackles for loss, one interception, one forced fumble and four passes defended.

TE Preston Douglas

• Sophomore
• 6-foot-3, 237-pounds
• Jupiter, Florida

The skinny: Douglas has emerged as one of the pleasant surprises on the NC State roster this season. After grabbing only one reception during his true freshman season, he has totaled 25 receptions for 299 yards and one touchdown in 2026. He isn’t flashy, but rather an intermediate safety valve for quarterbacks who uses his solid frame to shield off defenders and secure catches through contact. And every quarterback needs a reliable safety valve.