4-star SF Cole Cloer commits to NC State, Will Wade

NC State coach Will Wade wants to be able to recruit the state of North Carolina well in his tenure with the Wolfpack. Now, he has the first commitment from an in-state born player. 

Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star small forward Cole Cloer, a Hillsborough, N.C., native, pledged to the Wolfpack over Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and UConn on Saturday evening. 

“Coach Wade and his staff is legit,” Cloer told The Wolfpacker after his August official visit. “It’s very NBA. They’re very intentional in everything they do. NC State is on the come up for sure. I think a lot of people are still sleeping. I think they can legit win the ACC, so I’m super excited to see.”

Cloer, who grew up a Wolfpack fan, is the No. 28 overall player in the 2026 class, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings. He is rated as the No. 13 small forward and the No. 4 player in Florida among the cycle. 

The 6-foot-7, 185-pound prospect is the second Rivals Industry Ranking top-30 recruit that Wade has landed in his first six months in Raleigh, joining current freshman guard Matthew Able, who was the No. 26 recruit in the 2025 cycle.

Cloer averaged 18.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.2 blocks per game at Caldwell Academy as a junior last season. He also shot 41 percent from beyond the arc with a 98 of 241 showing on 3-point attempts.

Before transferring to Caldwell and later IMG, Cloer spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Orange (N.C.) High. He averaged 25.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as a sophomore in the 2023-24 campaign, while he posted 20.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists as a freshman the year prior. 

Cloer is the Wolfpack’s second commitment of the 2026 cycle. He joins Paso Robles (Calif.) SoCal Academy three-star center Trevon Carter-Givens, who picked NC State over San Diego State and USC in September.