RALEIGH — With so many key members of the defense either graduating or leaving for different opportunities, NC State needed to find some experienced replacements in the transfer portal. Linebacker Raul “Popo” Aguirre already had some connections to the Wolfpack program and decided it was the right place for him to spend his final season at the collegiate level.
“I’ve always loved this place,” Aguirre said. “It was just a great process, coming here and meeting some of the players and now I’m here and I’m excited.”
A bold move with family ties
On Jan. 19, 2026, Aguirre suited up as a member of the Miami Hurricanes for the last time in the national championship against Indiana. He left the program to pursue transfer portal opportunities just a few days after. Aguirre’s younger brother, Markel, was a member of the 2026 recruiting class at NC State as a defensive back. Popo decided it was time to reunite the Aguirre brothers.
“I’m very close with him,” Popo Aguirre said of his brother. “I Facetimed him during all those things when he was here. I’ve known Duke Scott since I was younger. I played high school ball up in Georgia, so I’ve known him since I was 10 and he was a little younger. I’ve known some of the guys and I’ve always loved the area.”
Aguirre’s bold decision to leave a program shortly after a deep College Football Playoff run wasn’t just about family and friends. It was about opportunity, too. Not just opportunities to play more, but also to get the college experience to the fullest, something he felt like he missed out on at times at Miami…