McDonald Excited About OC Opportunity
NC State head coach Dave Doeren needed just a day to announce his replacement -- or replacements -- for offensive coordinator Eli Drinkwitz. The Wolfpack’s sixth-year head coach elected to go with a co-coordinator approach, tabbing wide receivers coach George McDonald and running backs coach Des Kitchings as his new offensive play-callers.
“It’s a great opportunity,” McDonald said of Doeren’s decision. “I appreciate Coach Doeren allowing me to be in this position. It was always a group effort when Drink and Led were here, so it’s still a group effort once we get everybody into the room. We still work together and help our team win games.
“I came here four years ago; Des has been here seven. Coach Doeren is a great leader; he’s a great teacher of players and of coaches. It’s a great thing when you can work hard and get promoted. It’s based off of our players because if we didn’t have good players he’d be looking outside. Coach Drink did a great job training us to be ready for this, and both of us are excited to keep pushing the offense forward.”
One point stressed by Doeren was he didn’t want to see the Wolfpack’s offense change. He considers it a unique offense that fans and recruits love, and because of that, don’t expect McDonald and Kitchings to change much at all. While there may be some minor tweaks, the offense should remain the same -- right down to the terminology.
“Anytime you can keep consistency it’s awesome,” McDonald stated. “We’ve had guys that know the terminology and the plays because we’ve had Ryan for three years. It makes everything go smoother. There’s always ups and downs in the process, but staying on the same page is a good deal.”
McDonald has had two previous stints as an offensive coordinator -- at Western Michigan and Syracuse -- and multiple stops at other programs as a wide receivers coach. He knows those experiences have helped prepare him for this next challenge at NC State.
“Just the volume of work, the intensity of preparation, all those spots have allowed me to grow,” he said. “Des has had many experiences. The more you learn the more you realize it’s about the people you’re with and the players you have.
“It’s not about me; you could be the coordinator and do the same thing. We have good players and coaches, so we’re excited to do it together and win games.”
A major reason McDonald was given this opportunity was the success he has had developing wide receivers. Dave Doeren hired him in 2015 in hopes of improving the Wolfpack’s play at wideout, and that mission has been accomplished.
This year NC State became the first school in ACC history to have two first-team All-ACC wide receivers who each had over 1,000 yards in juniors Kelvin Harmon and Jakobi Meyers. McDonald raved about both of his star players.
“[Kelvin’s] work ethic is phenomenal,” McDonald stated. “Another great trait is his ball skills. When you combine a great work ethic and his physicalness and his ability to track the ball, that makes him special.
“[With Jakobi] you see a guy who came in at a completely different position and he’s weathered the ups and downs to get to this point. [On Wednesday] he graduated, he’s a 1,000-yard receiver, and he came in as a quarterback.
“It comes back to the coaching staff being able to develop them and the players believing in the development. That’s what guys come to college for, to get a degree and have success on the field. He’s living both of those.”
While McDonald will have Meyers in the upcoming Gator Bowl, he won’t have Harmon. A potential first-round pick, Harmon has chosen to skip the bowl game and begin his preparation for the 2019 NFL draft.
“Kelvin is a great player, but the other guys are, also,” said McDonald. “They just haven’t gotten the opportunity. It’s not a matter of stepping up, it’s just a matter of getting reps -- and I’m excited for those guys.
“CJ [Riley] has made big plays, Emeka [Emezie] has made big plays, Thayer [Thomas], obviously Jakobi. Devin Carter made a nice catch against ECU. Unfortunately [Kelvin] won’t be with us, but we have a strong group that’s ready to continue.”
Following the bowl game there will be a major question that McDonald, Kitchings, and the rest of the Wolfpack’s offensive staff will need to answer: who is the starting quarterback in 2019? McDonald laughed when asked about the looming question
“It’s the same as when you have four receivers,” he said, smiling. “Whoever is the best player will be on the field.”