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NC State Football

WATCH: Doeren Discusses First Spring Practice

February 27, 2020
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NC State head coach Dave Doeren met with the media following the Wolfpack's first practice of Spring 2020.

NOTE: Click the video in the player above to watch Doeren’s interview


“It’s good to be back out there. It’s been a long time since we’ve practiced. With all the things we’ve been talking about with these guys, to see them come out with the energy that they had, encouraging each other, working hard… There was a lot of good teaching on the film, and there’s a lot of good film to watch. Again, we’re in helmets only, so there are only so many things you can do without your pads on. It was a good first day. There’s a lot to build on.”
“Honestly, no. It’s the same timeframe we’ve been in. We go five practices before spring break every year.”
“Today’s the first day I’ve gotten to see them work on the field, so that was fun for me. They have good chemistry, and like I’ve talked about, three of those guys were together already on defense. Coach [Charley] Wiles has been doing this for a long time. It’s fun to see those guys. Coach [Tim] Beck has really, really good energy out there and is in charge of what’s going on. The quarterbacks are listening. It’s fun to see it. I think, again, you can’t get too excited on day one because there’s really not a lot going on from a contact standpoint. The energy, the cohesion, the chemistry, all the things we’ve worked on really hard on in the offseason… you can see it on the field.”
“It’s consistency for [Alim McNeill], being in good physical condition with his cardio so he can play hard every rep. I think, for him, it’s holding himself to the same high standard that we hold him to. He’s had the best offseason he’s had since he’s been here, so I’m looking forward to seeing if that carries over.”
“The biggest thing offseason was competing at an elite level. How hard are we going to compete against ourselves, against each other? Are they connecting at an elite level? You see that when you come to the practice field. You see the encouragement. You see the offense and defense encouraging each other. You see the competition. Then you’re talking about individual improvements.You want to see the things that they were doing at the end of last season, and we’ve talked to them about being different when they get out there. Some of it is even confidence. Guys that were playing for the first time are now out there for the second time going through it. It’s just a lot different. At this time in the fall, it was the first time Jordan Houston had been in our backfield, right? Now, he looks like he’s been out there a long time. You’re seeing that growth.”
“Yeah, absolutely. All of those guys were able to get reps one way or another throughout the season last year. Terrell Dawkins had a great offseason, and we look for him to step up and help us. Obviously, Savion [Jackson] and Josh [Harris] were able to play in games, and C.J. Clark is getting extended reps with us for the first time because of his injury last year, so it’s good to get him back out there. We’re going to need all four of those guys.”
Bam [Knight] is physically and mentally tough. As you said, he’s nicked up at times and played through the pain. It’s great to see all those guys. He and Ricky dealt with injuries throughout the fall, and to see those guys back out there and feeling good is fun as a coach to watch that.”
Devin [Leary] is our returning starter right now, and the other guys are trying to take the job from him. It’s going to play out how it plays out, but it’s his to lose."

 
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