Top NC State Football Target Commits to Duke Over Wolfpack
The NC State football program missed out on one of their top recruits, CJ Givers, in a highly anticipated recruitment battle.
Despite scheduling an official visit with NC State’s coaching staff this month and being on the Wolfpack’s 2026 offer list for several months, the rising senior from Fellowship Christian School (Ga.), CJ Givers, decided against choosing NC State as his future home. Instead, earlier this week, Givers committed to the Duke Blue Devils, led by head coach Manny Diaz.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound three-star running back announced his decision on social media, revealing that his final four schools were Duke, NC State, Georgia Tech, and Indiana.
Givers, who received around 30 scholarship offers during his recruitment, is currently ranked No. 646 nationally, No. 37 among running backs, and No. 77 in Georgia according to the 247Sports 2026 Composite rankings.
Meanwhile, NC State’s 13th-year head coach Dave Doeren and his staff now sit at No. 62 in the national rankings for the 2026 cycle. Their eight recruits—each of whom is a three-star prospect—currently rank No. 14 in the ACC, just behind Duke.
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