Priority junior quarterback commits to NC State
By Ethan McDowell
NC State football picked up its first commitment of its 2026 recruiting class Tuesday afternoon when 6-3, 200-pound Jacob Smith out of Pfafftown (N.C.) Reagan High. officially joined the program. The Wolfpack baseball commit is now pledged to the school for two sports.
He announced the news on social media Tuesday after committing to the coaching staff earlier this week, kicking off the rising junior recruiting cycle. Smith picked NC State football over offers from Duke, UNC, Wake Forest and others after joining the baseball class as an eighth grader.
“NC State holds a special place in my heart,” Smith said earlier this year.
The most recent Pack commit picked up his offer June 16, 2023 after camping with the program last summer. He visited NC State constantly over the following months and even returned for another camp in 2024.
Quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper built a great relationship with the Pack signal-caller commit over the course of his recruitment.
“He’s one of the best in the business, so it’d be really cool to play for him in the future,” Smith said.
Smith is a right-handed pitcher on the diamond and finished his sophomore year with a 5-1 record. On the gridiron, he threw for 2,051 yards and 24 touchdowns.
The Wolfpack was an appealing option for him and set the pace in his recruitment for months because of his connection to the baseball program and the trajectory of the football program. Smith stopped by campus a few times this year, but a spring practice visit really caught his attention.
“Obviously, the receiving group they have is unreal, unmatched … It’s cool to see because it shows how explosive their offense is going to be, and it also shows that, if they can put together an offense of recruits like that this year, what can they do in three, four, maybe five years?” Smith said.
The On3 Industry Ranking considers him the No. 627 recruit in the country, the No. 50 quarterback nationally and the No. 24 prospect in North Carolina’s 2026 class.
