Auburn Pitcher Justice De Jong is Transferring to NC State

NC State continued to strengthen its pitching staff through the Transfer Portal on, landing a commitment from Auburn right-handed pitcher Justice De Jong today.

 

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The former Top-100 national recruit spent his freshman season with the Tigers before announcing he will continue his collegiate career in Raleigh.

While De Jong saw limited action as a freshman, his recruiting pedigree suggests the Wolfpack may be adding one of the highest-upside arms available in the portal.

Limited Freshman Opportunity at Auburn

De Jong appeared in six games during his freshman season at Auburn, garnering a 10.13 ERA in 5.1 innings.

The results weren’t what either De Jong or Auburn hoped for, but the sample size was extremely small.

It’s not uncommon for highly regarded freshmen, particularly pitchers in the SEC, to have limited opportunities while adjusting to college baseball.

Elite Recruiting Pedigree

Before he arrived at Auburn, De Jong was viewed as one of the premier pitching prospects in the country.

According to Perfect Game, he finished the 2025 recruiting cycle ranked:

No. 96 overall prospect nationally
No. 24 right-handed pitcher
No. 4 overall player in New York

Those rankings placed him among the nation’s elite high school arms.

MLB Scouts Took Notice

Professional scouts were equally impressed with De Jong before he arrived on campus.

MLB.com ranked him as the No. 213 overall prospect for the 2025 MLB Draft, giving him legitimate professional consideration coming out of high school.

Ultimately, he chose to honor his commitment to Auburn and begin his college career in the SEC.

Now, after one season with the Tigers, he’ll look for a fresh start at NC State.

A Classic Buy-Low Addition

Transfer Portal recruiting often comes down to projecting future development rather than focusing solely on recent production.

That’s exactly what makes De Jong such an intriguing addition.

His freshman statistics don’t jump off the page, but neither do they erase the talent that made him one of the nation’s top prep pitchers just a year ago.

Pitchers frequently make significant strides after changing programs, particularly when they possess De Jong’s combination of arm talent and recruiting pedigree.

If NC State’s coaching staff can help unlock that potential, the Wolfpack may have landed one of the more intriguing upside plays in this year’s portal.