Dave Doeren: "It's A Pretty Important Stretch"

NC State head coach Dave Doeren met with the media to discuss the transfer portal, Maryland, recent hirings and much more!

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.  Below is an automatic transcript of the PC.

Opening Statement...
Well, thanks Danny, and excited to see you in person and thankful for the opportunity,  to come to the bowl , and obviously for our team to be in state and have that, you know, 12 months ago we were in San Diego and could hardly get any of our players parents out there. So it's great to be home and look forward to playing, you know, in a professional stadium there. and obviously playing against Coach Locksley and Maryland we know they're a well-coached football team that has a lot of talent, and was actually watching them play Ohio State this morning, watching a little of their film. They've got some really good talented players and some good schemes.  So we're looking forward to it. A lot happened, I guess, here since we last played a game.

And so excited to answer questions to the media about where we're at.  It's a prett important stretch from our recruiting standpoint for me and our program.

Coach Beck is now the head coach at Coastal Carolina and really excited for Tim and his family.  He definitely has done great things for us in our program.  John Garrison has also left our staff to take on another opportunity elsewhere , and I thank John and his family for their time. Here was a great time with John and Tim both, but sometimes things happen like that in his profession, and we've been able to now officially bring in Robert Anae as our offensive coordinator, and Garrett Tujague as our offensive line coach. Those two have worked together at BYU and at University of Virginia for 14 years combined.

And, have great relationships with each other, know each other inside and out. And, looking forward to the change, you know, and our systems, it's gonna evolve as it has over time. And Robert has been, he's really unique. You know, he is, came through the B Y u Lavelle Edwards Tree of Coaching and then evolved with Mike Leach. do I probably need to stop right there , and say that my prayers are with Mike and his family right now, as, as he's battling? Sounds like, he's definitely fighting , and Mike's a mentor to a lot of coaches, many that I have on my staff that have worked with him. So I'd definitely like to say that about Coach. but after, you know, Robert's time with him at Texas Tech and he's moved on with Rich Rodriguez at Arizona, and then, you know, him and Bronco reunited at BYU and then to Virginia.

And so his offense has got a lot of stamps on it, and it's very unique. And I think the best thing about Robert having to compete against him now at Virginia and Syracuse is he knows how to fit what he knows around the players that he has and utilize the strengths of his team. And so there's gonna be a lot of learning here with our group after the Bowl game. We won't change offenses prior to, just because that would be unfair for those guys. Robert and Garrett are here just trying to learn the names of our players now, <laugh>. And so I think that's enough in helping us close out this recruiting class. You know, Garrett, been a head coach at the junior college level, was a great player on the offensive line at B Y U and has, you know, territorial knowledge of this conference with U V A and, has recruited to some of the players that are on our team.

And so excited about that. And I think it's really important from a coordinator's standpoint to have the line coach that you want and that just kind of timed up. so unique situation for us. Timing is everything, I guess people say. as far as our team goes, you know, we're back at it. We started our bowl prep this past weekend with our developmental work, and, it's been fun getting on the grass again with the younger players and we're in final exams, so, you know, kind of balancing that with prep and our coaches recruiting all at the same time. And so there's a lot of that happening at once. And as you know, the signing date for the first go round is this coming Wednesday, a week from this Wednesday. So we'll see where we fit into that box , and then how much work we have left leading up to the second signing date. So, happy holidays, I guess, are in order for everybody on the call and our fan base, and look forward to having a little time, you know, with my family as we get out of this active recruiting period into the dead period next week. Open it up for any questions.

Dave first of all, who's gonna be calling the plays in the bowl? And then the second question is given Robert's success over the last couple years that Brennan Armstrong and then Garrett Schrader, how important is it to have a guy like that with a young quarterback like MJ to, to bring him along?

I think you can look at the success that Brennan had under coach and then after coach left, you know, and then the lack of success Garrett had, and then Coach came in, you know, I think those are two live examples in our league of the impact that he had on those two young men.

So our quarterbacks are very fortunate to have a guy like Robert here.... look forward to that. And I look forward, not just to them, but the guys we're bringing in, you know, and recruiting. I can't talk about him yet, but once we sign him, I'll be able to, you know, as far as the bowl game goes, it'll be a collective effort. You know, Kurt Roper and Joker Phillips, as you know, both been coordinators. and so those guys along with Todd Gobel, those are our three full-time coaches that'll be coaching in the bowl game.

They'll work hand in hand together and, coach Roper will take the lion share of the play calling responsibilities, but it's gonna be a group effort. I can say that. with the offensive line, you know, Austin, our offensive graduate assistant will be coaching him and, you know, played center at Duke. He's been a GA here. He's really, really good young coach. so I look forward to having him really kind of go through that experience. The guys, they're really excited for him, and I know that they'll do a good job. Grant Gibson was out there helping coach the other day with him, and, you know, that's part of what happens. And these players will be asked to step up a little bit, you know, they're, they're experienced guys on that offensive line. And so, you know, I guess it's different not to have the guys that were here with them through the year, but that's kind of what some of these bowls have become. You're seeing it across the board and we'll rally these guys will do a great job coaching 'em, and the players will do a great job playing for 'em.

Yeah, coach, I don't know how many people are in the, transfer portal now. I guess there were more than a thousand about a week ago. I mean, for a coach is, is this chaotic, as chaotic as it seems, and is there any way to bring any, I don't know what the right word is, sanity to the whole process and make things a little less chaotic?
Well, I hope so, chip. You know, I think this is a new era. there's a lot of change right now, and there's very little enforcement. There's very little, guidelines. I think there's a lot of tampering. I think there's, a lot of third party bad advice being given. I think there's a kind of a robbing of young people's ability, not just in football, but to battle, you know, and compete and, and, have adversity and learn how to deal with it. I think some people are being robbed of that in their lives, and that's, that's a shame, you know? I do think there is a time for people to transfer. I think sometimes guys are buried in depth charts and they're running out of time, , and I get that, like, that to me makes complete sense, you know, but for guys that are playing , and guys that are a part of something , and they have brotherhood and coaches that believe in 'em, and they're getting enticed or poached, you know, I think that that's a real shame in our profession.

I do. so, you know, I think all of our coachings, all of the coaches in the country share this belief, you know, that, we'd like to see some changes happen, , and I'm not sure what they are. I'm not responsible for that kind of <laugh> thing, but I, I can tell you, it's, it's not in a good place right now for the young men, for the coaches, for the families, all of it. And, you know, there's a place for this. It just needs to be roped in, you know, it needs to be regulated, it needs to be enforced, and it needs to be something that is well thought through.

Hey Dave. curious with NIL when you're talking about recruiting, this is the second December of going through that process of recruiting with NIL being alive, I guess factor or influence. Do you hear more from recruits now about that, or even with guys on the transfer portal than when you were going through this the first time around?
Yeah, I think last year no one really knew what it was gonna be like, you know, , and now it's kind of commonplace communication as far as questions. And so it's a lot different in 12 months. Things have changed a lot.

Just in general, obviously the transfer portal windows kind of change things in terms of guys announcing, do you have a strategy for players who've gone in, in terms of being available for the Bowl game?
Players that are in the portal are not available for the bowl game.

Yeah, Dave, how, how important are these extra practices that you give for bowls for, for the young guys? And is there a couple of guys that you could, name that, that might be standing out and have done really well, that, that you're counting on possibly for next year?
Yeah, they're critical. I mean, I've had two practices, so, you know, we've put the whole team through like eight or nine periods just to make sure we're keeping our timing and our fundamentals and all those kind of things. And then everyone goes through special teams and then, the guys that have taken the line share the reps are conditioning after that, and then the rest of the team's doing what they do. You know, Josh Crabtree, it's been fun seeing him and Jalen Coit, Anthony Smith, Julian Gray, well, Michael Allen, all these young players, getting reps, you know, seeing Lyndon Cooper getting reps on the old line, Jaleel Davis, I'm gonna leave people out. But, Ry and Van, like all these guys, you know, and on defense, the defensive lineman, Brandon Cleveland and Nick Campbell, you know, Claude Larkin, Zion Reeves, all the linebackers that are behind these guys are getting valuable reps right now, you know, so to get to see Jordan Pool and Caden, Fordham, you know, it's fun to watch and, and, and I definitely have enjoyed it and we'll do the same thing this coming weekend, but it's too early, you know, I mean, like, as you know, we're gonna have however many practices we end up doing, and then we'll have our spring ball, which comes out of the winter program, and it's a long ways until September.

So there's gonna be a ton of growth, I mean, a ton outta this group of guys. and I'm excited about it. You know, there's, there's a good group. We're losing a lot of good players, but there's a good group, good young group of guys that because of the Covid rule where you have 60 year players all over your roster, they've been patiently waiting their turn. Jalen Scott's a great example, guy's been waiting his turn behind these really good linebackers, you know, so it's gonna be fun, you know, to see them and emerge , and step into leadership roles. I told Tim McKay this yesterday, like, you know, we're losing Grant Gibson, Bryson Seass, and Chandler Zavala on the line, and this is your time, you know, it's your time. Him and Dylan McMahon, you know, Bryce and, and, to see what they can do as leaders, you know, to, to see Derrick Eason emerge as a leader, Anthony Belton, like, you know, so there's some guys that have huge, huge opportunities, you know, to step into a new light , and really relish a role that they've been not taken the backseat to, but have been a part of the ride watching those guys.

So as much as I'm excited about the development of the player, I'm just as excited about the development of the person through the leadership opportunities these guys have now.

Do you know, has anybody opted out of the ball yet from your team? Do you know how many people maybe won't play in that game? And a second question would be with Chris Dunn winning the Groza, just your thoughts on that. That's a pretty big honor, obviously.
Yeah, for sure. Devin Carter's the only player, that was playing that won't play in the bowl game. He's, he's decided to declare for the N F L and and do that. So, you know, we're wishing him well. Chris Dunn, I mean, what a story. So proud of him, you know, incredibly proud of him and happy for him and excited for him. You name it. Just, been through a lot, you know, through his time off the field, on the field, and it's just really worked himself into being the best version of himself. , and it's great to see him get the notoriety for that, not just from the Groza but from the All-American, cuz we know there's other great kickers out there. And it's great that Chris is getting the, the recognition that he's earned.

Dave, you mentioned obviously bringing in Robert Anae and Garett Tujague as well. And how big was it for not only to be able to bring the two of them in, but also to do it quickly to, to help, you know, as you said, you're not gonna be able, they're not gonna be able to coach up players right now, going into the ball game, but you get them for recruiting purposes, especially this month where you need to be able to convince players to stay in the class, and you also need to convince transfers to try to come in too.
Well, yeah, I think everything has changed the timeline of, obviously you've seen athletic directors dismissing coaches early in the seasons, middle of the seasons now, , and with the early signing date with the transfer portal window, people want to know who are gonna, who's gonna coach 'em, you know? they do. And rightly so. You know, if I was a parent and I had a son that was being recruited and I didn't know who his position coach or coordinator were gonna be or head coach was gonna be, that would be a tougher decision. Not that you can't make that decision, you can, but it does help to have those ingredients present in the conversation. And so we were fortunate, you know, to have the opportunity. I appreciate our administration helping me, you know, and the, and Luke Oregon, was instrumental in this, you know, with the timing of it all.

So, you know, we're, we're a good program here, a great program. We've got a lot to offer. We've got a locker room full of incredible guys to coach, and there's a lot of people that called and texted that wanted these jobs. , and so I feel like I had a great situation, you know, I mean, the higher coaches into a locker room that has these kind of guys returning, with this kind of promise and look, people know how hard we play. They know how tough we are. And I think that sells itself. You know, if I'm a coach somewhere and I can go live in Raleigh, North Carolina and work for a head coach that's been at the school for over 10 years now , and be in a locker room full of proven players with a culture like this, it's not as hard as you think to go get a great person to want to be here.

You know? , and so I'm, I'm fortunate to have that, to be able to talk with people about, and Robert's case, you know, his son's the old line coach at Campbell, he's got grandchildren that are very close and they live in Fuqua Arena, you know, so it wasn't just the job, it was also the family. And that's pretty cool, you know, when you have a a person on your staff who's, whose family is that local, it makes it even easier. So, yeah, I mean, we couldn't have been in a better situation to replace two great coaches with two great coaches, you know, and two that fit our staff that have, you know, relationships on our staff, you know, coach, coach Ruff and McNeil has worked with these guys. And so that helps me from a character standpoint to be able to speak to him on them. You know, Brian Mitchell was college teammates with Garrett two J, you know, my corners coaching him we're college teammates. And so to have that, you know, where those guys can talk and, , and Coach Gibson, worked at Arizona on Rich Rodriguez’s staff with coach Anae, so our family, you know, it's interesting how it's all tied back together that way. So, you know, I feel very fortunate about the chemistry. It's really been awesome to bring these guys in and just see the friendships like that.

Hey Dave, can you address the challenges that Maryland presents for you guys?
Yeah, I mean, I don't have a ton of information for you yet. I've, I, like I said, I've just watched one game so far, and it was a game that was down to the Wire, against Ohio State. So, you know, they're, they're talented, he's recruited, well, you know, Mike's done a really good job developing his program that way. And they've got length and they've got speed. You've got a quarterback , and so when you have that, you've got a chance to be dangerous. they're big on the offensive line. You can see the skill at receiver and db. I'm not sure who all is playing or not playing for them. I've heard rumors and I'm sure he won't tell us, but, you know, we'll find out when we get down there. But they've got a good football team. They do. , and so this is gonna be a challenge and an opportunity both , and we have a good football team. We got a tough group of guys that wanna finish. Well, so we look forward to the matchup.

After, you know, knowing the Devin Leary and his family for so long, was it pretty much straightforward or, or very business-like on how things parted or did you try to recruit him back?
No, I wished Devin, well, you know, he's, he's been, a great young man to coach nothing but respect and positive things to say about Devin and his family and, you know, he made a decision. And let's leave it at that.

Is MJ healthy enough to play in the bowl or will it be Ben?
Yeah, I'm not gonna tell you that. So they're both practicing right now. Excited to have 'em on the field. They went through practice yesterday and the day before and you know, I look forward to helping these guys get better, you know, as far as giving you competitive advantages for our opponent. I'm not gonna do that.

Hey Dave, I was, I was just wondering on the last play of your last game, Noah Burnette was getting ready to kick a field goal for Carolina, try to kick one, and the cameras were focused on you, you had your head down, looks like you didn't watch it. just what's going through your mind while that play was unfolding?
I was praying that's what I was doing, you know, so a hundred percent talking to God during that one.