Spring practice officially started for NC State yesterday, and Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren spoke with the media afterwards. The video is ABOVE, and a bulleted breakdown is BELOW.

• It felt great.
  • Our guys had really good bounce and were in good shape.
  • I thought they flew around.
• It was good to see the spirit, not just of the team, but the staff.
  • There are obviously some new parts and those guys are excited to be here and you feel their energy on the field.
  • Now, it’s about being consistent and letting these guys get the reps that they need to grow and compete.
• I’m not going to give you an answer on quarterbacks until probably Aug. 31. You can ask me that every week and get the same answer if you want.
  • I’m very confident with the competition we are about to have, and the guy that will come out of it. Whoever is behind him is probably a really good option. We have good talent.
  • Coach (Kurt) Roper is a really good coach.
  • It’s going to take time. I’m not going to rush it and I’m going to let them fail and see how they respond. I’m going to let them have success and see how they respond. I’ll let the competition play for a while and that is how we have done it here.
• When you build a program, you recruit a certain kind of player that fits not just your schemes, but the character and the culture of your program. Then you have to develop those guys. You want retention to be a part of that. You have to coach them a certain way.
  • When you lose a good player and you have a guy who has been in the system 2-to-3 years, now it is his opportunity.
    • A great example is Emeka (Emezie). He has been here for 2 years and now he has taken over in Kelvin’s spot, and has made plays and made mistakes. He is ready to step in that role.
    • C.J. Riley is another one and Thayer Thomas is another one.
• Ricky (Person) won’t practice a lot this spring.
  • He had to do some things postseason to get him healthy.
  • He’s doing good, but he won’t be in that position until after spring break, and then we’ll see.
  • He’ll be fully cleared for the summer.
• At Running Back, it was the 1st day out there with Zonovan Knight, and we were excited about his athleticism, and what he brings to the table.
  • Once Damontay Rhem comes back from his foot injury, he’ll get back in the groove.
  • Then we’ll have two more freshmen coming in. There is a group of guys in there and it will take some time.
  • Trent Pennix was out there today and got a lot of reps. He looks good and is almost up to 230 lbs. Body type-wise, he is almost what we had with Reggie (Gallaspy), but a little bit taller.
• Today was a really good day to get on the field to see what they know.
  • We’ve had this week really to install, which is what we did today and tomorrow.
  • It kind of gives you a feel for guys that are:
    • really ready to play
    • guys that are behind
    • how in shape they are compared to other guys
• Coach Thunder just had 8 weeks with them and some of them, like Ty Evans, has gained 15 pounds.
• I was walking out today with Joseph Boletepeli, one of our freshman defensive lineman last year that is going into year 2, and he was here early. I was standing behind him and was like, ‘You look completely different.’ He looks really, really good in his jersey (1 year with Thunder and crew)
• Payton Wilson is chomping at the bit and wants to go so bad. He was able to do some and we’ll be able to graduate him into some things, but not try to put him into everything too early. I’m really happy for him and excited to see the progression.
• In a way, I think it’s good timing for him. Coming into a group of guys that need to prove themselves and having a completely clean slate to do that. I think it is really good for that competition and you can’t replace experience. All of us in our profession, we go back to things that have happened to us, and those are our learning moments.
• For him (QB Coach Roper), it goes way, way back to a lot of quarterback situations.
  • All those experiences and all those very good players he has been around
  • All those times with Coach Cutcliffe (Duke).
  • He’s the right guy for the job and I’m excited for him.
  • I’m looking forward to being there for him and those guys through this. It’s going to take time.
• We call him (Jarius Morehead) ‘Old head’ now because he has been here so long.
  • Jarius is awesome. He is a great person first of all and cares so much about his teammates. How he carries himself, he’s a true role model.
  • We lean on him a lot, not just for football, but how he’s doing and the spirits of the team.