3-Star Linebacker Chad Fairchild Includes NC State in his Top-5

3-Star 2026 Linebacker Chad Fairchild (6’1″/215) included NC State in his Top 5 today, along with Kansas, Marshall, Georgia Tech, and Mississippi State.

Duke, Wake Forest, Liberty, Pitt, South Carolina, and Indiana were all in his Top 10 when he released it on November 29th.

Fairchild is scheduled to take an official visit to NC State on June 20–22. He also has official visits scheduled with Marshall (June 6) and Mississippi State (June 13).

ON3, Rivals, and ESPN all rank Fairchild as a 3-star prospect, with ESPN ranking him as the #16 inside linebacker in the 2026 recruiting class. Rivals used to rate Fairchild as a 4-star prospect.

NC State was the first Power 4 school to offer Fairchild, doing so on June 9th, 2023.

Fairchild has been a frequent visitor to NC State throughout his recruitment.