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NC State running back Jordan Houston to transfer

On3 imageby: Ethan McDowell11/27/23ethanmmcdowell
Jordan Houston
Nov 5, 2022; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack running back Jordan Houston (3) runs the ball during the second half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Carter-Finley Stadium. The Wolf Pack won 30-21. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

NC State senior running back Jordan Houston officially announced his intentions to transfer Monday afternoon. The fifth-year member of the Pack opted to redshirt this season after playing in 3 games.

He started at running back to begin the 2023 season but shared the backfield with four other running backs. Houston will have one year of eligibility remaining as a graduate transfer.

NC State shared his decision to redshirt on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Sept. 21. Shortly after the announcement, Houston did not appear on NC State’s online roster.

“RB Jordan Houston will redshirt the season,” the program wrote. “He will finish academically this fall and graduate. We wish him all the best.”

Houston posted his best season with the program last fall, racking up 544 yards on 136 attempts, an average of 4.0 yards per carry. That put him 10th in the ACC in rushing yards per game en route to earning the team’s Ted Brown Award for Offensive Back of the Year.

But this fall, Houston hadn’t found the same success on the ground. He was averaging 3.8 yards per carry en route to just 32 yards per game before redshirting. On the season, Houston totaled 96 rushing yards on 25 carries.

Houston, who is from Waldorf, Md., was NC State’s third-leading rusher in 2020 with 143 yards and 3 touchdowns, and the team’s second-leading ball carrier during his freshman season in 2019 with 526 yards and 2 touchdowns. In his rookie season, Houston averaged 5.2 yards per carry, which was the 20th-best mark in program history. 

The running back was a highly recruited player out of Flint Hill School in Virginia, where he rushed for 5,405 yards on 532 carries, good for 168.9 yards per game. He also recorded 61 touchdowns over his high school career and helped guide his team to back-to-back private school state titles as a junior and senior.

He is the third member of the Wolfpack backfield to announce his departure from the team this season, joining Michael Allen, who plans on entering the transfer portal, and Micah Crowell, who retired from football. Freshman Kendrick Raphael and Delbert Mimms III are the program’s primary running backs now, with wide receiver Kevin Concepcion also taking reps in the backfield.

A total of three NC State athletes have declared their intentions to transfer this week. Graduate tight end Christopher Toudle and redshirt sophomore wide receive Anthony Smith joined Houston Monday.

The NCAA football transfer portal window officially opens Monday, Dec. 4.

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