Dave Doeren Discusses CJ Bailey, Leadership, Five-for-Five Rule, and More
NC State head coach Dave Doeren met with the media during the breakout portion of the 2026 ACC Football Kickoff.
NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch Doeren’s interview.
How is your son doing?
Oh man, he's an exceptional young man, and I'm super proud of him. I appreciate you asking that question.
He's doing great. He finished his undergraduate degree at App State, earned his master's at App State, and now he's training to be a mechanic. He loves it. He loves cars and works his tail off. I'm super proud of him.
It's been an interesting journey as a parent. Sarah and I have invested a lot of time and energy helping the neurodivergent community, not just at NC State. It's probably been one of the coolest things in our lives to be a part of through the organizations my wife, in particular, has spent so much time with.
What advice would you give someone trying to break into college coaching?
Getting into any profession is about making an impact and building connections with people who can help you.
When I was a high school coach, I used to volunteer on college campuses. I'd spend three or four weeks during the summer at Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, or Kansas State, volunteering, staying in dorms with the players, and trying to prove myself to a coach who would give me a chance.
Eventually it worked. It took me a while, but you've got to be willing to do the dirty work to get there. Eventually, somebody will step up and help you do it the right way.
You've already become the winningest coach in NC State history, and you're on pace to coach more games than anyone in school history. How would you define your tenure at NC State?
That's a great question.
Obviously, we've been consistent. We've been to 11 postseasons. We've developed a lot of really good football players who maybe weren't ranked very high coming out of high school. We're third in the nation in developing three-star-or-lower recruits into NFL players.
We've done it the right way. We have the highest team GPA in school history and the most community service hours in school history.
I hope people remember the relationships we've built in the community and among our donor base. It's been a great ride, but there's a lot more left in the tank. I still have a lot of hunger and a lot of goals. I hope this story is nowhere near the end.
CJ Bailey talked about the relationship he's built with you and Coach Kurt Roper, and how that played a role in him staying at NC State. How has that relationship grown?
I think trust is a huge part of being a good player. If you trust your coach, you play differently than if you don't trust your coach.
Just like me, I don't want to play a player I don't trust.
Trust is earned over time through consistent actions and behaviors—doing what you say you're going to do and being who you say you are. I've exhibited those things to CJ, and he's done the same with me.
There's just a genuine relationship we have where we can tell each other anything. There's no judgment. It's all love. Even though sometimes it's tough, he knows I love him. I know he loves me. He knows I'll fight for him, and I know he'll fight for me. There's nothing I wouldn't do for that kid. He knows that.
I'm pulling hard for him. He, Coach Roper, and I are no different. I've been with Kurt a long time now. I totally respect Kurt Roper. He's been a great position coach. He's been a huge addition as our coordinator.
I think he's done a tremendous job with our staff. He knows I trust him, and there's a relationship there. If I tell Kurt something, I know it's going to get done the right way.
Can you address the Five-for-Five legislation and its significance?
I'm really happy it happened.
When the first rule change took place allowing kids to play four games, it was a great rule. It was before the transfer portal and before NIL. It was created to allow freshmen who were going to redshirt to get a little bit of experience so we could develop them better. They could get a taste of game action so that when it was time for them to play, they weren't overwhelmed because they'd never been in a game.
It was a great rule at the time.
But when the transfer portal and NIL came along, agents started using those four games as leverage, telling kids to transfer, shut it down, or use it to negotiate more money. That's not what the intent of the rule was.
Obviously, I had that happen on our team where a kid was starting, and there was pressure in the middle of the season.
I think Five-for-Five eliminates a lot of the issues created by the old rule. It gives kids the same opportunity to develop over the same period of time, and it helps our rosters because roster management has changed.
We used to have 85 scholarships and some of us had 40 walk-ons. Now you only have 105 players, so you have fewer guys to field the team with.
Being able to use the entire roster without worrying about how many games a player appears in is a nice thing to have from a roster-management standpoint.
What has to improve for NC State to take the next step after finishing 4-4 in ACC play last season?
It's not beating yourself. Like I said in the other room, that happened in the Duke game. There's no doubt about it.
We've got to do a better job handling critical situations in games.
Then it's about one-possession games. You look at who wins conferences—whether it's the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, or ACC—and conference champions usually win four out of five, five out of six, or six out of six one-possession games.
The same thing is true when you look at Super Bowl teams. They're elite in one-possession games.
That's an area where we need to become elite. When we get into those one-score games with one minute left, we've got to find a way to stop somebody, find a way to score, or, if we have the lead, not give the ball back.
One-possession games often come down to one player making a play. It's about guys coming through in clutch situations.
How do you feel about the new ACC tiebreaker rules?
They seem fair.
Until you actually get into it, you never know if there's some small detail that was overlooked, but it seems like they covered all their bases.
There was a lot of communication and time spent figuring out the best way to do it.
I trust Jim Phillips and the conference to use the right criteria to make it as fair as possible.
How much of an advantage is it to have both coordinators back this season?
It's nice to have continuity.
Last year we had two new coordinators. This year we don't have any.
When you have somebody new, there's a language adjustment for your team. It's the same with players. Our players already know how to speak the language of our coordinators, and that's a good thing.
I like our systems. We're always trying to improve them, but I like the way they're built and the people leading them.
You mentioned having "a lot of meat left on the bone." Is that becoming a theme for this season?
Not really.
Somebody asked me after the season, when there were rumors about me retiring, and I said, "Man, I've got a lot of meat left on the bone."
I don't even know where those rumors came from, but I guess that statement kind of took off.
It's real, though. I want to take this program to new heights. As good as we've been—and we've been good—we want to be way better than that.
Does opening the season with a conference game add a sense of urgency during the summer?
Yeah, it does.
Opening the season against a Power Four opponent does that by itself. But when it's a conference game, that win is even more meaningful.
You want to control your own destiny. When you win a conference game to start the season, you put yourself in that position on Day One. If you don't win that game, then you're hoping that team loses a few more because that head-to-head win matters at the end of the year.
If you want to take advantage of every opportunity you can get, that's one of them.
Charlton Warren was a new addition to your staff last year. What separates him from other coaches you've worked with?
Charlton's amazing.
His organizational skills and leadership ability stand out. As you know, he's a military veteran. He's a leader of men in battle. When he stands in a room with our defensive backs, he commands their attention.
He stepped right in when DJ had to deal with a family situation. There was no flinch. He took over with total control.
He's a pro. I was really fortunate to have Charlton join our staff. I think very highly of him as a human being, and in recruiting he's helped us add some really good players to the back end.
Has the NIL era stabilized from a locker-room standpoint?
I think the fact that we're four or five years into it now has helped. Your entire locker room is used to it.
Is it normalized? I don't know, because we really don't know what people make at other schools. Unlike the NFL, where you can look up salaries in five minutes, there's no database for college football.
We're still operating on misinformation a lot of the time and trying to make financial decisions without reliable data.
From a cultural standpoint, though, the players are used to guys getting paid. They're used to some guys making more than others.
When NIL first started, there was a lot of jealousy and comparison in locker rooms. I think now players have learned that if they want more, they've got to play better.
Many of your transfers this year were highly rated recruits who didn't play much at their previous schools. Was that intentional?
I think it's a little of both.
We've had success with guys like Hollywood Smothers and Noah Rogers. They were highly ranked recruits who went somewhere and didn't play much. That doesn't mean they weren't good. Sometimes they just had somebody better in front of them.
We've also had success with guys like Cian Slone, Sabastian Harsh, and Chandler Zavala—players who came from a level below and wanted to prove they could play at this level.
We search for both.
At the end of the day, you're trying to find a player who fits your roster, fits your locker room culture, and has a chip on his shoulder.
Whether it's a former four- or five-star recruit trying to prove he's still that guy or a Group of Five All-American trying to prove he can play in the Power Four, I like those players better than someone who spent three or four years at a Power Four school and never played.
We're trying to find really good players who still have something to prove.
Your schedule has been labeled one of the easier Power Four schedules. Does that motivate your team?
You don't know how tough a schedule is until the season's over.
Last year people talked about our schedule, and by the end of the season we'd played more nine-win teams than just about anybody in college football.
Talk to me at the end of the season about how hard the schedule was.
You said you have a lot of "meat left on the bone." What keeps bringing you back?
Winning.
The players and trying to take this program to new heights.
Your players mentioned bringing in someone to help with leadership development. Why was that important?
It's not new, but it's become more hands-on.
I like having a third party teach leadership without me in the room because I think the players can be more open. They can say anything they want without the guy who determines playing time sitting there.
It allows them to be vulnerable and honest about what's really going on, whether it's something they need help with or issues they're having with teammates. Those conversations are hard to have when the head coach is sitting in the room.
Having someone who's a professional at teaching leadership really helps because players can ask, "How do I address this situation?" and get guidance on how to handle it.
I've been part of this before. At Northern Illinois, we had Dennis Barsema from the business school come in and teach leadership to our players.
Here we were fortunate to find Mike. Mike does a tremendous job. He's just a great human being, and I think he's earned the trust of our players.
He's teaching them a lot of positive things right now, and it's been fun to watch it catch on.
Have you already seen an impact from that leadership training?
Absolutely.
Have you had a chance to talk with Rod Brind'Amour after the Hurricanes' Stanley Cup run?
I look forward to that opportunity.
His offseason has been pretty busy, so hopefully I'll get the chance.
Were you at the parade?
No. I was at Lake Gaston sitting in a bar watching it.
Two of my sons were there. They got there at 8 a.m., camped out, and never left.
Would it be special to bring that kind of championship atmosphere to NC State?
I hope to do that.
Do you have an update on Katron Evans' waiver?
He's been going through the waiver process ever since we got him.
It's in the NCAA's hands now, so we're keeping our fingers crossed.
He's a great young man, and we're hoping for the best. I think he has a very legitimate case, but you know how those decisions go.
How do you handle developing players only to see them leave?
It's frustrating. It can make you mad if you let it.
I've changed the way I think about it. It's no different than when I lose a good coach.
It's an opportunity to replace that person with someone else who wants to be here, and sometimes it's even an upgrade.
You lose a good player, then you try to go find an even better player.
That's the approach I take.
I wish those guys nothing but the best. I love every one of them, but I'm not going to spend time talking about players who aren't here anymore.
How does Five-for-Five change player development?
We really don't have to talk about redshirting anymore.
In some cases, we just got word the other day that 15 to 20 players on our roster may have gained another year of eligibility if they want it. That's good for them, and it's good for me if they stay.
I'm glad I don't have to manage whether to play a guy for three snaps because those three snaps might cost him a year of eligibility.
If you can get a kid three snaps, get him three snaps. Why should that cost him a year?
I'm excited we don't have to worry about that anymore.
Do you think there should be some type of emergency waiver process for extenuating circumstances?
I'm sure there's always going to be something, but I think they're trying to get rid of that.
Five years is enough. You should be able to graduate in five years. You may lose a year or two because football is a dangerous sport. There's a good chance that, over five years of college football, you're going to have an injury. I still feel those injuries myself.
I think five years is enough, but we'll see.
Will the new rule allow you to play younger players more on special teams?
It depends.
We're not going to sacrifice production just to get a guy snaps. Field goal protection is a pretty big deal. The best players are going to play, and if a young guy is one of those players, then he'll play.
CJ Bailey has talked about other teams contacting him during the offseason even though he wasn't in the transfer portal. What does it say about him that he stayed?
It speaks to his character first of all and the type of human being he is and how his parents raised him.
Secondly, it speaks to our culture that he wanted to stay. That wouldn't have happened if he didn't have the feelings he has about NC State, about me, about Coach Roper, about Coach Thunder, and all the other people he works with on a daily basis.
It's unfortunate that that kind of tampering is happening, but it is. We all know it is.
I'm just proud of him and thankful.
Where have you seen the biggest growth from your team this year?
I think it's in the relationships across the team.
For people who don't play football, this may not make much sense, but a lot of teams are offense and defense. It's not that they don't like each other, but they're separate.
This team is different. It's really interesting how together they are. It's palpable. You can feel it.
You walk into the dining hall and everybody's sitting together. It's not guys from the same hometown, the same position, or the same side of the ball. They're all mixed together, and it's really cool to see.
I can't say I've seen that very often. I'm pretty proud of it because it's hard with so many new players to build something like that.
CJ deserves a lot of credit for it.
What's it been like watching CJ Bailey grow over the last two years?
It's been really cool.
He's gone from a 170-pound stick man to a grown man. He's about 220 pounds now, mature, experienced, tough, and resilient.
I love seeing that. That's why I do what I do—to watch these guys grow up and be a part of that. I'm super proud of him.
You've talked about the leadership council meeting every other Friday. What's it been like watching that group develop?
We've always had a leadership council. We've always had these meetings.
The difference is this team has embraced them. Instead of looking at it like, "I have to go to this meeting," they actually want to be there.
That's a credit to them. They want to become better leaders, and they're taking the material from the classroom and applying it. That's been awesome to see.
You've talked about not paying much attention to preseason rankings.
I don't focus on preseason rankings.
Week Zero is new for NC State, and it's also an ACC game. How do you create urgency?
I don't have to do anything.
The kids know when we're playing. They know who we're playing, and they know they want to control their own destiny.
Winning a conference game in Week One puts you in that position immediately.
There's definitely an intensity in the summer workouts because they know they're opening on the road against a really good football team a week earlier than normal.
You're opening the season at Vanderbilt after previously facing them in the Independence Bowl. What are your thoughts on that matchup?
I have a lot of respect for Clark Lea and what he's done at Vanderbilt. He's done a great job. It's really impressive how he's built that program.
They're a really tough football team, and I've heard the stadium is beautiful now after the renovations.
It'll be a great donor trip, a chance to enjoy a great city, and it should be a heck of an opportunity against a great opponent and a great coach.
What's one thing you've focused on this offseason?
I'm excited to see our defense play.
I thought we were an up-and-down version of ourselves throughout last season. I really feel like we're going to be much more consistent on that side of the football, and that's something we need.
Do you anticipate Will Wilson having a similar short-yardage role this season?
We'll see.
Will did a heck of a job. He's really improved as a passer as well, so his menu of plays is going to be much different.
Every year is a different offense when it comes to short-yardage situations. It depends on how your offensive line comes together.
Last year we had three senior tight ends and a senior running back, and they're all gone now.
That was a great luxury to have because you knew you could pick up tough yardage.
Time will tell, but hopefully we'll be able to do it again.
What improvements have you seen from CJ Bailey?
He's become much more patient. He's slowed down going through his progressions, has much better control of his footwork, and his accuracy has improved because of that.
