QB Travis Burgess views NC State as a contender in his recruitment moving forward

By Noah Fleischman

The last time Loganville (Ga.) Grayson three-star quarterback Travis Burgess set foot on NC State’s campus was for a camp last summer. He hadn’t been back to see what the Wolfpack had to offer — until late April. 

It marked his first true recruiting visit to the Pack, which had been trying to get him on campus for a while. Burgess originally was set to make the trip on April 11, but he opted to reschedule to see North Carolina’s campus for a second time. 

But now, after the Wolfpack’s persistent recruiting of the No. 9 available quarterback in the 2026 cycle, Burgess made his trek to Raleigh. It was there where NC State caught the signal-caller’s eye, allowing the program to surge in his recruitment. 

“The trip was awesome,” Burgess recently told TheWolfpacker.com. “That was my first time up there. I got a chance to bring the family. It was great to have the whole day to talk with the coaches. They told me how they’re very high on me and what they’ve done in the past.”

Burgess entered the visit with Auburn and North Carolina as his clear top two leaders, but by the end of his trip, NC State entered the mix. The Pack was behind the curve since it offered in March, but has quickly made up ground to form Burgess’ top three.

NC State impressed Burgess and his family with what they were able to do with freshman quarterback CJ Bailey last fall. The rising senior wants to find a way onto the field early, and the Wolfpack’s willingness to play a first-year quarterback was eye-opening — especially the development part.

“A lot of kids are great in high school, but college is a big jump,” Burgess said. “Some people can handle it, some people might take a little time. Seeing how CJ was coached by [offensive coordinator Kurt Roper] and how he was developed and ready to play at such an early age and have a great performance [stood out].”

During the visit, Burgess had his first in-person one-on-one conversations with head coach Dave Doeren and Roper. He was able to sit down with them, and learn about both their coaching and leadership styles up close.

Roper’s track record as a quarterbacks coach speaks for itself. Not only has he been key in Bailey’s development, but he was pivotal in Eli Manning’s at Ole Miss, while Roper also has taken signal-callers to the next level at Duke. Pair that with his personable approach, and Roper seems to have made progress in Burgess’ recruitment.

“It’s been awesome to build that relationship,” Burgess said of Roper. “If I have any questions, I can ask him and pick his brain to see what he thinks. And being able to get up there and meet him in person a little bit more, I think that’s what helped out a lot.”

In addition to his possible future position coach, Burgess enjoyed being able to talk with Doeren inside his second-floor office at the Murphy Center. His no-nonsense approach piqued Burgess’ interest.

“The biggest thing with him is he doesn’t sugarcoat it” Burgess said. “I like that. Whatever the situation is, he’ll let it be known what’s going on and this is this. That’s the best thing about him, he will be upfront.” 

The 6-foot-5 quarterback believes he has taken enough visits. NC State has cemented itself inside his top three, along with Auburn and UNC, both of which have been building relationships with the quarterback for a longer period of time. 

Now, comes the decision process for Burgess, who aims for a late-May commitment.

“I’ve visited the schools I needed to,” Burgess said. “I’ve been able to see the coaches, the players, the environment, the offensive scheme, the coaching styles. That’s the first part. The last part is the family and being able to get their confirmation on a school and all the boxes we need to check. 

“Getting confirmation from them is the final piece for me. Once mom and dad confirm it, and then brother and sister, that’s what will set it off.”