NC State head coach Dave Doeren met with the media today and discussed the offensive line play, defensive transfer portal recruiting, preparation for Virginia, the Wolfpack's defense, and more!
NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.
On practice this week ahead of the Virginia game
Really good. Yeah, guys are excited to get back on the field. A lot of things that we felt like we left on the table in that game that we need to do better at.And so every game, our job is to critique the film, critique ourselves, and then put together a plan to improve.
Any players you really feel like taking a step...
I'm not done. Okay. And so when you're done evaluating the film, then you put a plan together, and then you talk to the guys about it, and then you go to the field and you practice. And the guys have done a great job of trying to get better every day.
Any players you feel like took a big step from week one to week two?
I think on the offensive line, we played some young guys. So Kamen Smith got significant reps. Spike Sowells got significant reps. It's the first time Teague and Jalen Grant have played next to the guys they were playing next to. And so the chemistry of that group will continue to improve. There was a lot of emphasis on that this week in practice.
We talked after the game about kind of knowing, at least having a sense that that might be the play that they ran, and I asked some players about it yesterday about, you practice a play, and then it comes up at a big time. How much credibility does that buy with a coaching staff?
Yeah, especially in the first game. Right. Because there's a lot of things that you're not sure if they've changed. But, we practiced the speed option that they ran earlier, and they scored on, and, we could have defended that better, obviously. The pick play that they ran, it's a, a bootleg where you're cracking and sneaking a guy out. We practiced that 20 times. And so, to your point, when the players feel prepared, and it's like studying for an exam, you get the study guide from the professor, you study it, you go to the test, and it's exactly what you thought. There's a lot of confidence you have right there. It's no different in how you're prepared by your staff. And so, it definitely builds trust. But it doesn't mean they can't run a new play either, right? So, each week, you're going to practice what you think you're going to get, and then the rules of your scheme have to take over when it's something different.
When you hired Coach Eliot in December, you didn't have a lot of time to work the portal, but he was able to do a little bit, and then you used it again in the spring to fill needs. What does that just say about kind of him and the staff to be able to identify what they need and have guys make it?
It was impressive to watch him recruit. And I've recruited against him, so, when he was at other places that we competed against them, when he was at Kentucky, when he was at Florida State, when he was at Miami. So, I knew that he was a diligent, hard-working recruiter that could build relationships. And when he got here, he assessed, and then he went after it.I mean, he did a great job. I mean, obviously, Cian Slone, Sabastian Harsh, Kenny Soares, I mean, you're seeing these guys come in and make an impact in the scheme in areas that we needed to have different body types in. And then the high school guys, too. I mean, the two freshman linebackers from Texas, LaCorian and Ke’Von are both going to be really good players for us, and those were part of his recruiting.
What does that say about him, especially guys in the spring quarter like Sabastian and Cian, getting them to buy in right away and be impact players on day one?
Well, it helps when you have film on what you want to do, right? So, you can bring them in and show them what we were doing, show them the body types that we were playing with, show them how we want to evolve and how they're a missing piece. And so, I think that's what guys in the portal want. They want to know that they're going to have a role. They don't want to transfer as a starter to a place to be a backup, right? And so, if you're bringing in a nose guard, and there's Brandon Cleveland, like, that's a hard sell, right? When you're bringing in guys to play an outside linebacker position we didn't have on the team, it's not as hard sell. And so, it's just a matter of being able to prove it with video because I think these guys, most of us now are such visual people. And, saying things is one thing, showing people is way different.
As a group, do you feel like, as far as the secondary going into week two?
Well, we had good rotation at corner. I thought all three of those guys that got in the game played well. And so, there was depth. We tackled better at corner than I've seen us tackle in a game. Not just getting guys down, but, I mean, bang, bang, getting them on the ground, not dragging them.I was really impressed with Jamel. I've talked about that. I thought he covered well, but he also tackled, like, a safety in the game. And, most offenses now we're trying to get the ball on the perimeter a lot. And so, to have that, I thought Jackson Vick really played well transitioning, from corner to nickel. And everything that we asked him to do, played at a high level. And then we had a good rotation going at safety. And I think Ronnie Royal and Brody will both grow a lot from that first game. That was their first full game playing in the rotation that we had.
Some of the guys that were late arrivals you mentioned, are they evolving now to where they have leadership traits showing?
Definitely. And I think they were, and I counseled them this way when they got here, just keep your mouth shut, put your head down, prove who you are through your work, be a good teammate. You're going to earn trust by not talking and working at the beginning.And then when we get the pads on, show them what you can do. And then as you start making plays, your voice comes real. And all those guys have done a good job of that. They're not big talkers, but they're guys that when they speak, the guys listen to them.
What was the thought process of trying to schedule this game with Virginia? Do you have any thoughts on should the ACC play eight or nine or eight plus two or nine plus one?
I mean, I've talked about this a lot this week. I mean, to me, you want to play nine or ten power four games because of your strength of schedule. And when you're looking for those power four games, I like looking for games in our recruiting regional footprint because, one, it's easier for our parents and fans if it's a road game. And there is, for our team, we know who Virginia is, right? If you go play at BYU or Utah or somebody like that, you're starting from scratch. Even when we don't play UVA, we see them on film a lot.So at least we know their team. So there's some carry over there. As far as how many teams in the league we should play, a lot of teams or conferences are moving to nine games.I've stated this before. I'm in favor of that. I know that we're in a different situation than Clemson and Georgia Tech and some of these teams that have an automatic SEC rivalry game. And so they have a different argument than I do. The year that we had COVID, and all we played was conference games except for one. I love that. I love playing as many conference games as we can. But there's two sides to it, you know? And there's 17 teams that have a stake in how we do this.
JACK is a unique position in this defense. How would you describe what that role is? It's kind of a hybrid.
Yeah, that's what it is. I mean, it's a guy that plays on the edge when we're in four down. It's a guy that can play in space when we're in three down. He has to be able to drop in coverage, obviously pass rush, and then defend the run like a linebacker. So it's a really versatile position.You see it played a lot in the NFL in the 3-4 schemes. I think 66% of the snaps in the NFL, you see a 3-4 structure. And so there's a lot of carryover. And those body types are, there's a lot of them in North Carolina? And so I do like the fact that we're in this scheme now. You find a lot of lanky guys that can run and hit and the state basketball guys that can transition into that position.
And just to follow, what do you think makes Slone such a good fit for that position? Well, it starts with his football IQ and his effort.
He plays really hard. And then he's athletic? I mean, he is really twitchy. He's a smart football player. Like, he understands what's going on, what the plays are that can be run against him, what the protection's going to be like. And he's played enough where he knows how to play fast because of that knowledge. And he's just got a really good knack for rushing the passer.Like, he's got more than one. He's not a one-trick pony where he just runs off the edge. He can win inside, and he can beat you with power.
Is there any deviation in noon game preparation?
Not really the prep, but the wake-up, obviously, on game day. I mean, you're up and in. And for us, being a morning practice team, it's an easier transition than if you were an afternoon practice team. So, but the rest of the week is just like a normal week?
You mentioned seeing Virginia, on tape and stuff. Watching them last week, it's only one game, but how improved did they look to you, maybe in certain stuff?
Their personnel is better. You can tell they've been there longer as a staff. The guys, those are his guys? Like, they're not people he inherited, people he's developed, people he's recruited, their strength coach, recruiting staff, coaching staff. When you're a new coach, you're inheriting a lot of players, and they become yours? But you're also going to go recruit guys that you think might fit better in the systems that you run. And so it's his team. He did a great job getting long, big guys in the portal to help them on the line of scrimmage. And the receiver room is completely different. I mean, you can see that. So they've done a nice job advancing their program. And, Tony's a great coach. He's got a really good staff. I'm not surprised, I mean, the guy knows how to win games.
