Where NC State’s departures rank on ESPN’s top-100 transfer portal players list

Although NC State has turned the page to the 2026 campaign, one in which the Wolfpack is confident in the group that will trot onto the field inside Carter-Finley Stadium, ESPN recently ranked the top-100 players that made their way through the transfer portal this offseason. 

And, well, the Pack had three of its departures end up on the list going into the new season, while none of its 20 additions made the rankings. 

Former left tackle Jacarrius Peak, who transferred to South Carolina, checked in as the No. 6 player to have found a new program this offseason, according to ESPN’s Max Olson. Peak, a 33-game starter at NC State, only allowed four sacks in more than 1,100 pass-blocking snaps in his tenure with the Wolfpack to become the second-best offensive lineman to change teams this year.

According to scout Steve Muench, there’s a reason why Peak was among the top players available on the open market ahead of his final season of eligibility.

“Peak has the ability to seal the edge, reach backside defensive tackles and work up to the second level as a zone blocker,” Muench wrote. “He has explosive power, there’s an edge to his game and he can uncoil on defenders. He’s smooth getting set, and he can shoot his hands as a pass blocker. His footwork is inconsistent and he can give ground, but he recovers well and has the tools to develop into an elite pass blocker.”

While Peak will play for the Gamecocks this fall — after recovering from a basketball-related knee injury, that is — the Wolfpack replaced him with East Carolina transfer Jimarion McCrimon. The latter, similar to Peak, has improved throughout his collegiate career, including allowing just six quarterback pressures in the last eight games of last season after hitting his stride. 

Running back Hollywood Smothers, meanwhile, was the 18th-best player on the list going into the new year. He emerged as the Wolfpack’s top running back midway through the 2024 campaign, which eventually led to him accounting for 1,128 scrimmage yards and seven total touchdowns last fall. 

Smothers initially committed to Alabama in the portal before flipping a week later to join Arch Manning at Texas. The elusive tailback led the ACC with 71 missed tackles forced last year, while he hit 100 or more scrimmage yards in 11 of his 22 appearances with the Wolfpack.

“Smothers is a patient runner who can sift through traffic between the tackles and bounce runs outside. He’s quick through the hole as an inside runner, and when he turns the corner on outside runs, he’s fast enough to pull away when he gets a seam,” Muench wrote. “He’s a reliable receiver with strong hands, and he’s more of a threat after the catch than his yards per catch average in 2025 (5.1) would suggest.”

The former Oklahoma transfer may have left Raleigh, but NC State has immense confidence in his former backup, Duke Scott, in taking over as the top option in the backfield. The junior had a pair of breakout efforts in place of Smothers last season, including rushing for 196 yards on 24 attempts in the Wolfpack’s upset win over No. 8 Georgia Tech last fall.

Rounding out the three top-100 transfers that departed from the Wolfpack this offseason is wideout Terrell Anderson, who checked in at No. 46 after landing at USC. He paced NC State with 629 receiving yards last fall, headlined by a career-best 166 and two touchdowns at Duke.

“He’s an explosive runner who is quick to reach his top-end speed after the catch and a threat to pull away when he catches passes in stride,” Muench wrote. “He still doesn’t have great size, but he has added weight. He tracks the ball well, and he’s competitive in 50-50 situations. He can find pockets in zone looks, and he can stick a foot in the ground at the top of routes.”

To replace Anderson — and the three other wideouts that won’t be in a Wolfpack uniform this season (Wesley Grimes, Noah Rogers and Teddy Hoffmann) — NC State has a wide open receiver room that is headlined by five transfer additions and returning junior Keenan Jackson to pick up the production.