NC State's CJ Bailey On 2025 Season: "I Just Want To Be Consistent"

NC State quarterback CJ Bailey met with the media to discuss preparing for East Carolina, the Wolfpack’s skill position talent, being named a team captain, and much more.

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the press conference.

On when Coach Doeren told him he was going to be a team captain...
It was a good feeling to know that everybody trusts me to be a captain on this team. It's very important, it's a big role for the team. I'm glad that I am a captain. They see my leadership, they see everything that I'm putting into the game. It's just a sign of relief for me. 

How often have you re-watched the ECU game? 
In the offseason I watched it all the time. Recently, of course, I've been watching a lot of films. I know a lot about those guys. 

What did you kind of take away from it that you know you can do better?
I'd probably say, just picking up, making sure we get the right calls and our protection calls. They like to pitch from a lot of places, so just getting the right protection calls. 

So when I saw you guys at the ACC football kickoff, I was kind of struck by how tall you were. What are the pros and cons of being a tall quarterback? Because you're tall and slim, very elusive. But some quarterbacks are short and stocky and can take more hits. What are the pros and cons of being your height and your build? 
So the pros are, of course, it's the same. You can see over the line, you've got guys that are 6'4", Jacarrius Peak, all those big guys.You can see over those guys, you can see deeper down the field. You can work your eyes. I'm actually long, so I've got longer strides, I can run better, I can move my feet better. So it's really a pro to me. I don't see any cons about being a tall quarterback. 

Who are some of the, we know about the guys from last year, but who are some of the wide receivers that have emerged for you so far this fall? 
All of them, they've all been really great. But a guy that I expected to show me what he had was Teddy Hoffmann. He's a really good player, freshman, came from Florida as well, and he's an amazing player. But all those guys like Wesley Grimes and Noah Rogers and Keenan Jackson, all those guys, y'all seen them before. They've been doing even better in camp. So just one guy was Teddy Hoffmann and, of course, Je’rel Bolder. 

I know Justin's been pushing to be your favorite target this offseason. Do you feel like he needs more targets to be able to get to where he wants to be this season too?
I mean, as soon as the ball will come to him, he'll make plays. I don't think it's about targets or anything. It's about him getting the ball, he's going to make a play no matter where he wants to go. 

How excited are you to get out there and run around in Carter-Finley?
I'm very excited. I've been saying this since the first day, since January. I'm ready to get to this week, get to the game. I'm ready to hear our fans shout loud for us and bring energy to the game.

You hear from older Pack fans who remember the good days of the Pirate and Wolfpack rivalry. What do you hear from that and how does that kind of add fuel for you?
I obviously do hear about that a lot. A couple guys, when we had the Victory Day and I think it was Meet the Pack Day as well, there was a lot of alumni there talking about it. Coach Ruff is on our staff. He gave a great story about his history and stuff like that. It's really big. It fuels me to want to play for people that want to cheer for us. You know what I mean? To be with us. That's all that comes to my mind. 

Is there a former NC State quarterback, other than Grayson McCall, that you've talked to in the last year that maybe has passed down some valuable wisdom?
Yeah, I talked to Jacoby Brissett. He is a really good quarterback. Jacoby, I called him one day and just asked him how he was as a leader and what could I do to improve? It really helped, gave me good advice, and so I’m a captain right now. 

Now that you've gone through camp right now and everything, what expectations do you have of yourself for this season? 
I just want to be consistent. Every game I just want to stay the same. If I have a big game, I want to continue that the whole year. I don't want to cut anything down or change anything that I'm doing if I’m doing it right. 

When did game prep begin for ECU? How much more do you like that knowing that there's sort of that low hanging fruit? You're almost there. 
Game plan has begun, like three weeks ago. We've been watching them, though. We've been looking at the team, preparing for them. We were really getting installs in a couple of weeks ago. I feel like we have a good game plan. We're going to go in and put some love with us and see what we can do offensively.