What NC State basketball roster looks like under Will Wade after transfer portal window

• The Wolfpack are pursuing Memphis guard PJ Haggerty, a potential NBA draft pick, who would significantly boost their ranking.
• Experts rank N.C. State’s incoming transfer class among the top in the ACC and nationally.

 N.C. State basketball continues to fill areas of need ahead of Will Wade‘s highly-anticipated debut season with the Wolfpack. 

It’ll be a completely different look in Raleigh, where Wade has added six players via the transfer portal, along with three incoming freshmen. Sophomore guard Paul McNeil Jr. is the lone rotation player set to return from a team that had a losing record and missed the ACC Tournament. 

As of May 7, N.C. State has added Colt Langdon (Butler), Tre Holloman (Michigan State), Terrance Arceneaux (Houston), Quadir Copeland (McNeese State), Alyn Breed (McNeese State) and Jerry Deng (Florida State) via the portal. 

Incoming freshman Zymicah Wilkins, who originally committed to N.C. State when it was being led by former coach Kevin Keatts, stuck with his plan to join the Wolfpack. 

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Wade has since added a top-30 recruit in Matt Able and an international center in Paul Mbiya, who signed on May 2. Wade said Mbiya “has the potential to be one of the best rim protectors and rebounders in college basketball” and the “sky is the limit for what he can become” with the Wolfpack.

PJ Haggerty has NC State basketball waiting during NBA draft process

Will Wade has pieced together a roster capable of competing in the ACC and making the NCAA Tournament. If he can add Memphis guard PJ Haggerty to the mix, the Wolfpack will likely start the season as one of the top 25 squads in the nation. 

Haggerty, who entered the transfer portal after averaging 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals as the 2024-25 AAC Player of the Year with the Tigers, is among the early entrants for the 2025 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-3 guard was one of 75 players invited to compete at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago from May 11-18. 

He currently projects as a second-round pick, but Haggerty has until May 28 to withdraw from the draft and maintain his college eligibility. If he returns to college, N.C. State is the likely destination, according to multiple reports. If Wade gets Haggerty to Raleigh, it’s not outlandish to think N.C. State can contend at the top of the ACC and beyond. 

Where Will Wade’s Wolfpack basketball roster ranks ahead of 2025-26 season?

As currently constructed, N.C. State’s roster has far better balance than the squad that finished the 2024-25 season with a 12-19 record, including a 5-15 mark in the ACC. As players who have been a part of winning cultures for multiple seasons, Michigan State’s Tre Holloman and Houston’s Terrance Arceneaux project to slide in as instant leaders for the revamped roster. 

Advanced analytics guru Evan Miyakawa lists the Wolfpack’s incoming transfer class at No. 33 nationally and sixth in the 18-team ACC. N.C. State is 36th nationally in 247Sports’ rankings. By adding key pieces from several high-major programs to surround some talented freshmen, Wade has put the Pack in position to be a factor in the 2025-26 season.

Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.

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