‘I feel really strong’: NC State QB commit Jacob Smith returns to football after knee injury

Armed with an NC State-logoed Adidas football, Pfafftown (N.C.) Reagan three-star quarterback Jacob Smith was back in his element for the first time at the Under Armour Next camp in Charlotte on Sunday. The only addition to his football wardrobe hinted at what held him off the field for more than eight months. The black compression sleeve on his left leg was a subtle change for Smith, the Wolfpack’s only quarterback commit of the 2026 cycle. He suffered a season-ending knee injury against Mooresville in Week 2 last fall, and it held him off the field the rest of football season and cost the dominant right-hander his junior baseball season.  But for Smith, who was cleared to return to football activities in March, being able to throw a football in a live, competitive environment again is a semblance of normalcy returning to his sports career.