NC State Guard Paul McNeil Jr. Will Enter the Transfer Portal

According to multiple reports, NC State sophomore guard Paul McNeil Jr. is expected to enter the Transfer Portal.

NEWS: NC State guard Paul McNeil Jr. will enter the transfer portal, sources told ESPN. McNeil is one of the nation’s best shooters, making nearly 43% of his 3s while taking more than 7 per game. Averaged 13.8 PPG. Also open to looking at NC State under new coach Justin Gainey. pic.twitter.com/TraRFxtHki

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 8, 2026

Simply put, this is something we were hoping wasn’t going to happen.

This past season, McNeil Jr. tied NC State’s single-season record for made three-pointers, matching DJ Horne’s mark of 105 in the Wolfpack’s NCAA Tournament First Four loss to Texas. He shot 42.7% from beyond the arc, which led the ACC, becoming just the fifth player in program history to lead the conference in three-point percentage.

His 42.7% clip from deep is the best by an NC State player since Scott Wood shot 44.1% during the 2012–13 season.

Earlier in the year, “P2” etched his name into the record books by knocking down 11 three-pointers against Texas Southern, setting NC State’s single-game record and tying the ACC single-game record originally set by Dennis Scott.

McNeil Jr. was one of the most improved players in the ACC this season, averaging 13.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while emerging as one of the league’s most dangerous perimeter shooters.

There’s no reason to sugarcoat it. This is a big blow for NC State. Keeping McNeil Jr. in Raleigh was a top priority for Justin Gainey.

Now, not to put on rose-colored glasses, but entering the portal doesn’t always mean a player is gone for good. In fact, we’re told Paul is wide open to a return to Raleigh.

That said, a source shared a rumor with us that Will Wade could be offering around $2.5 million to bring McNeil Jr. to Baton Rouge. That number isn’t confirmed, but if it’s even close, it represents a significant price tag for NC State or anyone else to match.

At the same time, we were told early on that while McNeil COULD enter the portal, he wouldn’t be heading to LSU. So what’s going on? Is Wade purposely trying to drive up the price on McNeil, knowing he can’t get him, or is there a shot Paul actually does follow him?

And what does this really mean for NC State? Can they build a competitive roster with $2.5M going to McNeil? Is McNeil just gauging his price on the open market? There is a lot to unpack here.

With this development, NC State has now had five players enter the Transfer Portal:

Cole Cloer
Jayme Kontuniemi
Matt Able
Colt Langdon
Paul McNeil Jr.

Portal season just took a turn here in Raleigh.