NC State football transfer portal recruiting big board 1.0

By Ethan McDowell

NC State football hit the ground running when the winter portal opened this week. The Wolfpack welcomed a pair of linemen to campus Monday and will host plenty more recruits over the next couple of weeks as the recruiting board continues to grow.

Dartmouth defensive lineman Josiah Green and Charlotte offensive lineman Jonny King both arrived in Raleigh earlier this week. In a few days, a few more visitors are expected to stop by.

Now that the portal has been open for more than 24 hours, let’s take a look at the first edition of TheWolfpacker.com’s transfer portal recruiting big board.

Quarterback

NC State is happy with its quarterback room, and head coach Dave Doeren declared that publicly on signing day. One source recently told TheWolfpacker.com that the staff will monitor potential backup signal-callers in the portal, but that does not seem like a priority right now.

Running back

The Pack has not publicly offered or expressed interest in any transfer running backs this year. As long as the core group of Hollywood Smothers, Kendrick Raphael and Duke Scott returns, then NC State should be set at this position group in 2025.

Wide receiver

Following KC Concepcion’s departure, NC State wants to find an experienced slot receiver to bolster this position group. The Pack has extended one public offer while also expressing interest in one of the most coveted recruits in the portal.

Wisconsin freshman Trech Kekahuna

NC State offered Kekahuna Monday. He’s a 5-foot-10 redshirt freshman who hauled in 25 passes for 339 yards over his 12 games in 2024. The slot prospect also caught 4 passes as a freshman during his redshirt season.

FIU redshirt senior Eric Rivers

Rivers told On3 that NC State is 1 of 43 schools that has been in contact with him. He plans on visiting UVA this week. The 5-foot-11 slot receiver is a four-star transfer and caught 62 passes for 1,172 yards and 12 touchdowns this fall. He is the No. 17 overall prospect in the portal and the No. 8 wide receiver.

Tight end

Wolfpack leading receiver Justin Joly has not made a decision on his future for 2025, which leaves the tight end room in flux. If he does not return, then finding a flex-Y receiver quickly becomes a priority for this cycle. And even if Joly does come back for his senior year, NC State would still like to add a traditional in-line tight end to this group.

Auburn redshirt sophomore Micah Riley

Riley caught 1 pass for 3 yards and a touchdown this fall. He played primarily on special teams as a redshirt sophomore and took on a limited role as an in-line tight end. The Auburn transfer plans on spending Friday and Saturday with the Wolfpack. During his redshirt freshman season, the 6-5, 266-pound pass catcher caught 2 passes for 40 yards and another score. Coming out of Bellevue (Neb.) West High in the 2022 class, Riley was the No. 516 recruit in the country, the No. 26 tight end nationally and the No. 4 prospect in Nebraska.

Tulsa sophomore Luke McGary

NC State offered McGary, a 6-3, 240-pound tight end, Dec. 4. The sophomore from Texas has expressed interest in NC State, per a source, but he also holds offers from LSU, Oklahoma, Colorado and many others. He caught 17 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown before hitting the portal.

Offensive line

Going into the portal window, NC State planned on taking as many as four offensive linemen. The Wolfpack wants to add at least one center and multiple tackles to this squad after losing three starters from the 2024 squad.

Charlotte redshirt junior center Jonny King

King arrived on campus Monday for his Wolfpack official visit. He started all 12 games for Charlotte this year as a 6-3, 290-pound redshirt junior from Greensboro. The lineman logged 737 snaps this fall and finished the year with a 67.3 Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade. King gave up 19 pressures and 1 sack during his 2024 campaign. He has one season of eligibility left.

Michigan senior center Dominick Giudice

The 6-4, 310-pound senior from New Jersey spent four seasons at Michigan, starting out as a defensive lineman before making a position switch. NC State will host him this weekend. He appeared in 5 games over his first three seasons with the Wolverines before winning the starting center job coming out of camp. Giudice held down that role for the first 5 weeks before playing in a reserve role the rest of the year. On3 considers him the No. 12 interior prospect in the portal and the No. 160 transfer overall.

Michigan senior tackle Tristan Bounds

Bounds has 1 year of eligibility left after playing 41 total offensive snaps during his first 4 seasons with the Wolverines, and he will spend this weekend in Raleigh. Standing 6-8, 305 pounds, the lineman is a physically imposing prospect and ranks as the No. 36 tackle in the portal according to On3. He signed with Michigan in the 2021 class as a three-star recruit. NC State recruited him out of high school as well.

Ball State redshirt sophomore tackle Taran Tyo

The All-MAC third-team selection will visit NC State this weekend after stopping by a Big 12 program for a mid-week official visit. He’s a 6-4, 326-pound lineman who the Pack likes at tackle, but he has the versatility and experience to play all over the line. He is the No. 5 interior offensive lineman in the portal and the No. 72 prospect overall. Tyo allowed 15 total pressures and 7 sacks through 11 games. 

Michigan tackle Andrew Gentry

NC State offensive line coach Garett Tujague recruited Gentry to UVA out of high school. The tackle signed with UVA before a 2-year mission. Due to a coaching change with the Cavaliers, he reopened his recruitment and flipped to Michigan. Gentry started 2 games at right tackle this fall before a season-ending foot injury, appearing in 4 other contests as a rotational left tackle earlier in the year. The 6-7, 327-pound junior has 2 seasons of eligibility left. NC State has been in contact with Gentry but has not scheduled a visit yet.

Defensive line

Brandon Cleveland’s return at nose tackle is a huge boost for the Pack’s starting defensive line. Adding a reserve at that spot could be on the table, but expect the staff to focus on defensive ends and edge rushers. Do not be surprised if NC State adds some pure pass rushers to this team that would not have fit into the program’s previous scheme.

Dartmouth senior defensive end Josiah Green

Green began his NC State visit Monday, and the trip has gone well. It sounds like he has enjoyed his time with the program, but the All-Ivy defensive lineman does not have a timeline for a decision. He still plans on taking trips to Georgia Tech, Duke and UConn. The 6-1, 280-pound lineman finished the season with 49 total tackles (16 solo, 9 for loss) to go along with 3 sacks. 

Elon freshman edge rusher Kahmari Brown

Brown was the first portal prospect to publicly report a transfer offer this week. There’s optimism he will be on campus soon but no date has been set yet. UNC also offered the edge rusher from Jacksonville, North Carolina this week. During his lone season at the FCS level, the 6-2, 220-pound lineman received freshman All-American honors after recording 33 total tackles and 4 sacks. He racked up 30 quarterback pressures this fall.

UTSA redshirt junior edge rusher Ronald Triplette III

Triplette is a 6-2, 250 pound lineman who recorded 23 total tackles and 4 sacks as a redshirt junior. He transferred to UTSA after starting his career at Kansas State, spending the past several years in his home state of Texas and emerging as a playmaker who finished the 2024 season with 18 quarterback pressures. The lineman recorded an 87.8 PFF grade this year in a rotational role. He is interested in the Pack.

Wisconsin redshirt senior James Thompson Jr.

NC State offered Thompson Monday but the Pack does not plan on recruiting the Big Ten defensive lineman out of the portal.

Linebacker

No concrete linebacker targets have popped up on the radar yet, but NC State will evaluate potential contributors at this position. The Wolfpack does not have a linebackers coach for 2025 now that Tony Gibson was hired to lead Marshall’s football program. It will be tough to recruit that position group without a permanent replacement.

Defensive backs

Expect NC State to take a selective look at defensive backs in the portal, and that includes potential cornerback depth. The Pack returns four players in the 2025 secondary who have starting experience. Plus, the program has recruited well in that spot and feels good about some of the young talent in the pipeline.