Dave Doeren’s Press Conference After Recent Hirings: BULLETED

NC State Head Football Coach Dave Doeren met with the media yesterday for a press conference after the hiring of new Offensive Coordinator Robert Anae and Offensive Line Coach Garrett Tujague. You can watch it here, or check out a BULLETED breakdown below.

• Maryland is a well-coached football team that has a lot of talent.
  • I was actually watching them play Ohio State this morning.
  • They’ve got some really good talented players and some good schemes.
• Coach Beck is now the Head Coach at Coastal Carolina…really excited for Tim and his family.
  • He definitely has done great things for us in our program.
• John Garrison has also left our staff to take on another opportunity elsewhere [Ole Miss], and I thank John and his family for their time.
• It was a great time with John and Tim both, but sometimes things happen like that in this profession, and we’ve been able to now officially bring in Robert Anae as our Offensive Coordinator, and Garrett Tujague as our Offensive Line Coach.
  • Those two have worked together at BYU and at University of Virginia for 14 years combined.
  • They have great relationships with each other, know each other inside and out
• Robert [Anae] is really unique. He came through the BYU Lavelle Edwards Tree of Coaching and then evolved with Mike Leach.
  • Also was with Rich Rodriguez at Arizona, and then him and Bronco [Mendenhall] reunited at BYU and then to Virginia.
  • Anae’s offense has got a lot of stamps on it, and it’s very unique.
  • He knows how to fit what he knows around the players that he has and utilize the strengths of his team.
  • There’s gonna be a lot of learning here with our group after the Bowl game.
    • We won’t change offenses prior to the bowl, just because that would be unfair for those guys.
    • Robert and Garrett are here just trying to learn the names of our players now.
  • Garrett [Tujague], has been a head coach at the Junior College level, was a great player on the Offensive Line at BYU, has territorial knowledge of this conference with UVA, and has recruited some of the players that are on our team.
• I think it’s really important from a coordinator’s standpoint to have the line coach that you want and that just kind of timed up.
• As far as our team goes we’re back at it. We started our bowl prep this past weekend with our developmental work.
  • It’s been fun getting on the grass again with the younger players and we’re in final exams.
  • Balancing that with prep and our coaches recruiting all at the same time.
    • The signing date for the 1st go-round is next Wednesday [12/21].
    • So we’ll see where we fit into that box, and then how much work we have left leading up to the 2nd signing date.
• You can look at the success that Brennan [Armstrong] had under coach [Anae] and then after coach left, and then the lack of success Garrett [Shrader] had, and then Coach came in.
  • So our quarterbacks are very fortunate to have a guy like Robert here. look forward to that. And I look forward, not just to them, but the guys we’re bringing in, you know, and recruiting.
• Play calling in the bowl game will be a collective effort.
  • Kurt Roper and Joker Phillips have both been coordinators. and so those guys along with Todd Gobel, those are our 3 full-time coaches that’ll be coaching in the bowl game.
  • They’ll work hand in hand together, but Coach Roper will take the lion share of the play calling responsibilities, but it’s gonna be a group effort.
  • Austin, our offensive graduate assistant will be coaching the O-Line. He played center at Duke.
    • He’s a really, really good young coach. I look forward to having him go through that experience. The guys, they’re really excited for him, and I know that they’ll do a good job.
    • Grant Gibson was out there helping coach the other day with him.
• This is a new era [Transfer Portal].
  • There’s a lot of change right now, and there’s very little enforcement.
  • There’s very little, guidelines. I think there’s a lot of tampering. I think there’s, a lot of 3rd party bad advice being given.
    • I think there’s a kind of a robbing of young people’s ability, not just in football, but to battle, compete and have adversity and learn how to deal with it.
    • I think some people are being robbed of that in their lives and that’s a shame, you know?
  • I do think there is a time for people to transfer.
    • Sometimes guys are buried in depth charts and they’re running out of time, and I get that, like.
    • That to me makes complete sense, but for guys that are playing, a part of something, have brotherhood and coaches that believe in them…they’re getting enticed or poached, you know?
    • I think that that’s a real shame in our profession.
  • I think all of the coaches in the country share this belief. We’d like to see some changes happen, and I’m not sure what they are.
    • I’m not responsible for that kind of thing, but I can tell you, it’s not in a good place right now for the young men, for the coaches, for the families, all of it.
    • There’s a place for this, it just needs to be roped in, it needs to be regulated, it needs to be enforced, and it needs to be something that is well thought through.
• Players that are in the portal are not available for the bowl game.
• They’re critical [Bowl Practices].
  • I’ve had 2 practices. We’ve put the whole team through like 8 or 9 periods, just to make sure we’re keeping our timing and our fundamentals and all those kind of things.
  • It’s been fun seeing Josh Crabtree, Jalen Coit, Anthony Smith, Julian Gray, Michael Allen, Lyndon Cooper, Jaleel Davids, Rylan Vann, Brandon Cleveland, Nick Campbell, Claude Larkins, Zion Reeves, Jordan Poole, Caden Fordham, all these young players getting reps, I’m gonna leave people out. It’s fun to watch.
  • So there’s gonna be a ton of growth, I mean, a ton outta this group of guys, and I’m excited about it.
  • There’s a good group. We’re losing a lot of good players, but there’s a good group, good young group of guys that because of the Covid rule, where you have 6-year players all over your roster.
    • They’ve been patiently waiting their turn.
      • Jaylon Scott’s a great example. He’s been waiting his turn behind these really good linebackers, so it’s gonna be fun to see them emerge and step into leadership roles.
      • I told Tim McKay this yesterday.
        • ‘We’re losing Grant Gibson, Bryson Seass, and Chandler Zavala on the line, and this is your time.’
        • Him and Dylan McMahon, to see what they can do as leaders. To see Derrick Eason emerge as a leader. Anthony Belton as well.
        • There’s some guys that have huge, huge opportunities. To step into a new light, and really relish in a role that they’ve taken the backseat to, but have been a part of the ride watching those guys.
• Devin Carter’s the only player, that was playing that won’t play in the bowl game. He’s decided to declare for the NFL and and do that. We’re wishing him well.
• Chris Dunn, I mean, what a story.
  • So proud of him…incredibly proud of him, happy for him and excited for him.
  • He’s been through a lot, on and off the field, and he’s really worked into being the best version of himself.
  • It’s great to see him get the notoriety for that, not just from the Groza but from the All-American.
  • It’s great that Chris is getting the, the recognition that he’s earned.
• We’re a good program here, a great program. We’ve got a lot to offer.
  • We’ve got a locker room full of incredible guys to coach, and there’s a lot of people that called and texted that wanted these jobs.
  • I had a great situation, to hire coaches into a locker room that has these kind of guys returning, with this kind of promise.
  • People know how hard we play. They know how tough we are, and I think that sells itself.
  • If I’m a coach somewhere, and I can go live in Raleigh, North Carolina, and work for a head coach that’s been at the school for over 10 years now, and be in a locker room full of proven players with a culture like this, it’s not as hard as you think to go get a great person to want to be here.
  • Robert Anae’s son is the O-line coach at Campbell.
    • He’s got grandchildren that are very close and they live in Fuqua Area, so it wasn’t just the job, it was also the family.
    • That’s pretty cool, when you have a a person on your staff whose family is that local, it makes it even easier.
    • Coach Ruffin McNeil [Special Assistant to the Head Coach] has worked with these guys, so that helps me from a character standpoint to be able to speak to him on them.
    • Brian Mitchell [Cornerback’s Coach] was college teammates with Garrett.
    • Coach Gibson, worked at Arizona on Rich Rodriguez’s staff with Coach Anae.
    • I feel very fortunate about the chemistry. It’s really been awesome to bring these guys in and just see friendships like that.
• They’re [Maryland] talented, he’s  recruited well.
  • Mike’s [Locksley] done a really good job developing his program that way.
  • They’ve got length and they’ve got speed.
  • You’ve got a quarterback. When you have that, you’ve got a chance to be dangerous.
  • They’re big on the offensive line.
  • You can see the skill at receiver and DB.
  • I’m not sure who all is playing or not playing for them.
  • I’ve heard rumors and I’m sure he won’t tell us, but we’ll find out when we get down there.
• I wished Devin [Leary] well. He’s been a great young man to coach. Nothing but respect and positive things to say about Devin and his family. He made a decision, and lets leave it at that.
• I’m not gonna tell you that [If MJ Morris is playing in the bowl game].
  • So they’re both practicing right now.
  • Excited to have them [MJ and Ben Finley] on the field.
  • They went through practice yesterday, and the day before.
  • I look forward to helping these guys get better.
  • As far as giving you competitive advantages for our opponent. I’m not gonna do that.