ACC Transfer Portal Breakdown: NC State
As SMU football nears its first season competing in the ACC, On the Pony Express will break down the transfer classes of every team in the conference.
The series continues with North Carolina State, currently ranked No. 3 out of 17 teams in the ACC. The Wolfpack have 24 players leaving and 14 coming in.
That gives NC State an Index Score of 36 in the On3’s Team Transfer Portal Index.
NC State Transfer Class Breakdown
NC State gets a big boost from its incoming transfer class including a pair of four-star transfers in wide receiver Noah Rogers from Ohio State and tight end Justin Joly from UConn. There are also three former four-star recruits in Zeke Correll (OL, Notre Dame), Wesley Grimes (WR, Wake Forest) and Hollywood Smothers (RB, Oklahoma).
The Pack landed coveted quarterback transfer Grayson McCall from Coastal Carolina, running back Jordan Waters from in-state and ACC rival Duke and safety Donovan Kaufman from Auburn. NC State also added pair of secondary pieces from Maryland in safety Tamarcus Cooley and corner Corey Cooley Jr.
Almost every one of the 14 incoming transfers could be listed as it is a really strong class. There are two corners, three safeties, a defensive lineman, two offensive linemen, a quarterback, two running backs, a tight end and two receivers for a well-rounded group.
Top Offensive Transfer: WR Noah Rogers
NC State brought Rogers home after one season at Ohio State. Rogers was the No. 1 recruit from North Carolina, the No. 3 receiver in the country and the No. 26 overall recruit according to On3.
The one downside of Rogers is he only played in four games and did not record any stats. The benefit is he has four year of eligibility for NC State. And if he can realize his potential for the Pack, that is a big-time addition.
Top Defensive Transfer: S Donovan Kaufman
Kaufman was a three-year starter at Auburn after beginning his career at Vanderbilt. An injury shortened his 2022 season, but he played in all 13 games of 2021 and 12 in 2023.
In 32 games over three seasons Kaufman finished with 109 tackles, including eight for loss and two sacks, to go with six fumbles forced, two interceptions, a fumble recovery and six passes defended.
That is a lot of experience and success playing at a high level of football over his career.
Key Losses
While the incoming transfers outrank the outgoing ones, there are certainly some pieces that will be missed.
That starts with defensive lineman CJ Clark who spent five seasons at NC State and finished with 72 career tackles. Another defensive piece gone is safety Jakeen Harris. He only played in two games last year, but had 22 starts in 48 games for his career.
Offensively, second-leading rusher Delbert Mimms III is headed out after rushing for 282 yards and eight touchdowns on 96 carries last season. Wide receiver Porter Rooks and running back Michael Allen are both former four-star recruits who contributed, but were never a centerpiece in the offense.
Quarterback MJ Morris threw for 719 yards and seven touchdowns in four games.
The post ACC Transfer Portal Breakdown: NC State appeared first on On3.
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