Interim head coach Todd Goebbel: "We Will Be Hard, Tough, and Together”
NC State interim head coach Todd Goebbel met with the media to discuss taking over the Wolfpack program, honoring Dave Doeren, his approach to the final five games, and much more.
NOTE: Click the video above to watch the full press conference!
Opening statement...
First, I want to thank Coach Doeren and his family for letting my family and me be part of this great football family for eight years.
I don’t take that for granted, and neither does my family.
It has been a true honor to work alongside a great coach, man, father, and husband.
Coach Doeren is the hardest-working, most transparent, and most genuine person I’ve ever worked with.
His love and respect for this program, his players, the university, and the Raleigh community deserve appreciation and celebration.
He approached every day with character, integrity, and an unmatched work ethic that many didn’t see.
The coaching staff, the players, and I truly thank him from the bottom of our hearts for showing us how to do hard things the right way.
Each Saturday, we will field a team that Coach Doeren will be proud of, one that will be hard, tough, and, most importantly, together.
Next, I want to thank Mr. Corrigan for the opportunity to lead these great young men moving forward.
I understand and respect the responsibility that goes along with being the interim head coach here at NC State.
This organization will continue to do things the right way on the field, in the classroom, and in the community.
I’m excited to start this journey with this coaching staff and these players.
Our mission is to make sure these prideful young men have a great experience competing for the rest of the season.
We will be hard, tough, and together.
Go Pack.
Before I open it up for questions, this Saturday we will honor the memory of former head coach Chuck Amato by wearing a red shoe sticker with his initials on the back of our helmets.
As we all know, the fashion statement was real.
I’m excited for Saturday.
What have the last 72 hours been like? Was Coach Doeren able to say goodbye to the team, and what have you seen from the players in their response?
Coach Doeren was definitely able to say goodbye to the team.
I’m glad he did.
That’s a man who poured his blood, sweat, and tears into the bricks here at NC State.
These players genuinely love him. They respect him.
I thought it was done eloquently and very respectfully.
I’m glad he could speak to support
To support the players, they've made the transition a lot easier.
Of course, there’s a transition piece, but I couldn’t be working around any better people.
The players have been outstanding.
Who have you leaned on the most as you step into the head coach role for the first time?
I’ve reached out to a few people who have been in the interim role.
I won’t get into specifics about who they are, but I really appreciate them.
They’ve given me some insight and suggestions.
But to be quite honest with you, I’ve relied on the players.
I told the leadership council today that I have so much confidence because of the players.
The players have been unbelievable in their support.
They’ve been unbelievable in showing up and being themselves.
A lot of that is because of the foundation Coach Doeren laid here over 14 years.
This probably isn’t how you expected to begin your head coaching career. How did you react when you learned you would be selected as the interim head coach?
Humbled and honored.
It’s definitely a situation that you respect.
But at the end of the day, I have to honor the gentleman I worked with for eight years by doing it the right way, just like he always did.
I’ll continue to do that.
What are you hoping to see from the defense over these final five games with the change in play-calling duties?
The biggest thing I’m looking for from that side of the ball, with the quality of players we have, is for them to play hard, play physical, and play fast.
At the end of the day, I know they’ll play with great confidence.
I’m excited to see that.
When did you find out that you would be the interim head coach?
Saturday evening.
We flew back all night, and Saturday evening I got a call from Mr. Corrigan with a vote of confidence: I was going to be named interim head coach.
From there, it’s been positive.
We’re moving forward.
We’re excited about the staff and the players for these next five weeks.
As the old cliché goes, we’ll take it one day at a time.
We’re excited to move forward that way.
Has Mr. Corrigan given you autonomy over personnel decisions involving the coaching staff, or do you make those decisions in consultation with others?
I’m extremely excited about the staff I have right now.
I know they’re all in, and we’re moving forward.
Today is an exciting day because we get the players back and start getting ready for Cal.
You’ve been around Coach Ruffin McNeill for several years. What kind of resource has he been, and what advice has he given you, as someone who's seen almost everything in the coaching business?
He’s definitely seen it all.
He is a gem.
I’m lucky he’s in my corner and in all of our corners.
Anyone with that kind of experience, personality, and love and respect for this university is someone you have to lean on.
I have.
It’s been awesome to hear his wisdom.
My ears are wide open.
He will definitely help with this transition.
Have you ever been on a staff that went through a coaching change during the season?
No, I have not.
Actually, I take that back.
At Marshall, we transitioned at the end of the season.
Another person was appointed interim head coach and led us through the bowl game.
I guess I have a little experience rebuilding morale, getting everybody back on board, and getting everybody working toward a common goal.
So, yeah, I’ve been through it.
What was the first staff meeting like after the coaching change, knowing you still have five games remaining?
Again, with the staff Coach Doeren built and the players Coach Doeren brought in, the transition was easy.
We've built a foundation and a culture.
The one thing we will stick to is being hard, tough, and together.
When adversity hits, we move on.
Next man up.
I think everyone has bought into that.
I can’t thank the staff, the people around the building, a nd, of course, the players enough; they made the transition seamless.
We’re excited to prepare for Cal.
Were you surprised by the midseason coaching change?
In this business, you learn to overcome and adapt.
I think that’s what we’ve done.
At the end of the day, we’re going to move forward, prepare for Cal, and give these young men the best game plan possible to go succeed Saturday at noon.
Did you have a chance to speak with Coach Doeren about taking over this role? If so, what did he tell you?
I had a chance to talk to him.
I have a lot of respect for him.
Working with him for eight years, I learned a tremendous amount.
The one thing I told him is that, at the end of the day, as I’ve said numerous times, the transition can be seamless as long as I carry on his message and continue to respect what he built.
I think we’re going to be in good shape here for the next five weeks.
You mentioned having some experience rebuilding team morale after a coaching change. What have you seen from the players so far, and how do you get them focused for this weekend's game?
Our leadership council got together right away, and we met with them.
At the end of the day, it’s their team.
I told them directly that we, as coaches, are here to put the best plans together for them.
Their job is to go out, execute, have fun, embrace these next five weeks, and bring value.
Everybody has bought in.
They’re excited, and we’re getting going.
Do you see yourself competing for the permanent head coaching job after the season? Is this a job you would want?
From the minute I was told I was the interim head coach, the focus has not been on me.
It’s strictly on these young people.
Many players have put a lot of time into this program, far more than I have.
At the end of the day, I'm not focused on myself.
As staff and support staff, we're focused on making sure these next five weeks are a great experience for these young guys because they deserve it.
They work extremely hard.
They’re great kids.
Our responsibility is to make sure their experience over these next five weeks is as good as it gets.
Do you anticipate any more staff changes?
No.
I’m excited about the staff we have right now.
They’re working diligently, putting in the hours, and preparing for Cal.
We’ll keep moving forward and get these young men ready to play.
Boo Corrigan probably had several options for interim head coach. Why do you think they chose you?
I’m going to stick with what I said.
I don’t know why.
At the end of the day, I don’t know why they chose me, but I accept the responsibility.
I respect NC State and the program Coach Doeren built.
I’m going to lead this team the best way I know how.
I’m going to be me, and we’re going to put a good product on the field Saturday.
Do you anticipate any personnel changes on the field? Have you seen anything you want to change moving forward?
Our focus is on the game plan.
We're focused on game-planning for Cal.
We have really good personnel in all three phases, and we’ll keep evaluating and developing, as we always have here.
By Saturday, those 22, 11 on offense, —1 on defense, and whoever gets the honor of running out on special teams will be well-coached, well-prepared, and excited to play for the NC State fan base.
You’ve talked about being yourself. What does that mean? What should fans and players expect from you?
Transparency. Excited. Urgent. Detailed. Prepared.
What have you learned over the last two or three days that surprised you, even after being in college football for so long?
I already respected Coach Doeren, but that respect has grown over the last 72 hours.
As a position coach, and even as a coordinator, you’re only responsible for so many people, and it's easy to get tunnel vision.
For a man to do it at a high level for 14 years, as he did, and be responsible for so many people within the Murphy Center and around the program — that’s what I’ve learned.
I already had the utmost respect for him, but I have even more respect now for what his day-to-day schedule looked like and how many people he was responsible for.
I hope I can do it somewhat as well as he did.
Has everything that's happened disrupted your normal game-week schedule, or are you still on track to prepare for Cal?
Everyone has handled it really, really well.
It’s been seamless.
Both staffs have gone to work.
We’re not behind at all.
The preparation has been very consistent and detailed.
We’ll continue that throughout the week.
The players will be put in great positions to succeed.
What have you seen from Charlton Warren and Zac Roper in their new roles leading their respective units?
They are genuine leaders.
They know how to galvanize a group.
They have a clear, concise message for the people they lead.
At the end of the day, they’re veteran coaches.
How do you keep players from looking ahead toward the transfer portal, next season, or their own individual futures?
The biggest message we’ve delivered to the team, and I think it landed well, is to bring value.
We’re all in this together for the next five weeks.
We’re here to represent NC State the right way, as we have for so many years.
If you bring value every day with a great attitude and an unbelievable work ethic, you'll have a strong chance of succeeding over the next five weeks.
That’s been the message.
It’s been very simple.
