'He's back': NC State star receiver KC Concepcion to return

KC Concepcion, a freshman, was the Wolfpack's most dynamic playmaker in 2023. Coach Dave Doeren asked fans to donate to NIL collectives that back the program to keep top players.

Posted 8:21 p.m. Nov 28 — Updated 10:13 p.m. Nov 29

Brian Murphy

, WRAL

NC State coach Dave Doeren called on his fan base to support NIL collectives that support the program Saturday night.

On Tuesday, one of those collectives announced that receiver KC Concepcion, NC State's most dynamic offensive player, would be returning to the Wolfpack in 2024 for his sophomore season.

"He's back. He's back," Savave Wolves co-owner Tom Livolsi told WRAL.

Concepcion led No. 21 NC State (9-3) with 767 receiving yards. Savage Wolves announced on social media that Concepcion had signed with the collective for 2024.

College football players are allowed to transfer to another school without sitting out a season. The window for end-of-season transfers opens Dec. 4, though many players have already announced their intention to transfer.

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NC State fans have worried much of the season about losing Concepcion, a 5-foot-11 dynamo from Charlotte, to another school with deeper pockets. After Concepcion caught seven passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns in NC State's 39-20 rout of North Carolina on Saturday night, Doeren called on fans to support Savage Wolves and Pack of Wolves NIL.

"I’d love to see 5,000 people donate $1,000 to our NIL and get us to a point where we can recruit, retain and develop and have a program in the NIL world where the guys on our roster are able to benefit from that," Doeren said.

Doeren's appeal led to a spike in donations and memberships for both NIL groups.

He did not mention Concepcion by name. Though schools are not supposed to contact players until or unless they enter the transfer portal, coaches have complained that "tampering" is going on for weeks before the end fo the season.

"We want to prevent people from even listening to those outside factors," Livolsi said. "We're making sure families and athletes are very cognizant of what their worth is."

Doeren's appeal led to a spike in donations and memberships for both NIL groups.

Savage Wolves offers memberships for fans ranging from $500 per year to $50,000 per year. Each comes with experiences, such as personal phone calls from athletes and personalized tours of NC State football facilities with athletes to personal autograph sessions and attending athlete's pro days and draft parties.

The group has held auctions of autographed memorabilia.

Savage Wolves lists 24 football players, including Concepcion, on its roster of athletes.

"He is the definition of NIL," Livolsi said of Concepcion. "He is marketable. He has created a brand for himself with all the charitable things we do, all of his success on the field. To be proactive, we are doing everything we can to maximize his earning potential as a college athlete through NIL. He has a partnership here and this is where we want him to call home forever."

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