Bailey Benson brings rangy, physical upside to NC State’s linebacker room
In the 2026 season, Bailey Benson enters NC State as a sophomore inside linebacker with a blue-collar profile: he was a productive prep defender at Eastside (164 career tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 10 sacks) and has the size and tackling mentality to compete for snaps in the Wolfpack rotation. He isn’t a finished product yet, but his early-enrollee path, transfer experience, and reputation as a tough, disruptive playmaker make him a sensible fit for a defense that values instinct, effort, and downhill violence.
