NC State Roster Breakdown After Jacari Brim Commitment

After landing a commitment from Appalachian State transfer point guard Jacari Brim this evening, now feels like the perfect time to reset the board and take a fresh look at NC State’s 2026-27 roster construction.

With Brim officially in the fold, NC State now sits at:

10 players on the roster
5 scholarships remaining

And the roster build under Justin Gainey is becoming much clearer.

Why Brim Matters

Before today, NC State already had its projected starting point guard locked in with Hofstra transfer Preston Edmead.

But behind him?

The primary backup point guard option was 4-star freshman signee Kingston Whitty.

And while Whitty is an extremely intriguing long-term piece, expecting a freshman point guard to immediately handle backup ACC lead-guard duties can be dangerous territory.

That’s where Brim helps.

And importantly, he allows Whitty to develop more naturally instead of being thrown into the fire immediately.

Roster Turnover

The current roster construction also highlights just how dramatic this offseason has been in Raleigh.

Only two players from last year’s roster remain:

Paul McNeil Jr.
Zymicah Wilkins

Seven of the nine players from last year’s roster who were eligible to return entered and remained in the Transfer Portal.

And six of those seven have already landed elsewhere.

What’s Still Needed?

Even after adding Brim, there are still clear roster priorities remaining.

Backup Center

NC State still needs frontcourt depth behind Kyle Evans.

Additional Frontcourt Experience

Zymicah Wilkins has talent, but next season will technically be his first year playing college basketball after redshirting.

Adding another experienced big makes a lot of sense.

Wing Depth

The perimeter group is taking shape, but another versatile wing wouldn’t hurt.