Dave Doeren Loves Hiring Former NC State Football Players

When former NC State Defensive Coordinator Tony Gibson was hired as the Head Coach at Marshall on December 8th, Wolfpack Head Coach Dave Doeren named Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay as the Interim Defensive Coordinator for the Military Bowl on December 28th, and Isaiah Moore as the Interim Linebackers Coach. Both Aughtry-Lindsay and Moore are former Linebackers at NC State.

Aughtry-Lindsay has been the Nickels Coach at NC State since 2000, and Moore has been on staff in a couple of different roles with the Wolfpack this season, starting out in the Recruiting Department.

Aughtry-Lindsay played Linebacker at NC State from 2001-04, where he was a 2-year starter. In his career with the Wolfpack, he had 266 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.

Moore played Linebacker at NC State from 2018-22, where he was a 5-year starter, and a 3-year captain. He rans 12th in school history in tackles (341), and 7th in tackles for loss (42.5). Moore earned 2nd Team All-ACC honors in 2022.

Doeren had this to say recently when he was speaking with the media.

I love hiring alumni. It’s different when it’s your team, your school. The pride factor is important, so there’s value in that. 

NC State currently has 6 former football players working in the program, whether that be as football coaches, or working in the Strength and Conditioning program.

Dantonio Burnette, Reggie Gallaspy, Gavin Locklear and Tyler Jones are also on staff at their alma mater.

Burnette began working at NC State in 2004. He worked for 3 seasons as a Graduate Assistant with the Wolfpack Strength and Conditioning program and 5 years as a Full-Time Assistant before spending 2012 as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning coach at Pittsburgh. He returned to NC State in January of 2013 to join Jason Veltkamp’s staff. At the end of 2013, Thunder Dan was named the Assistant Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for Football. In 2016, he became the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Football. In 2018, Burnette became an Assistant Athletics Director, while maintaining his role as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach. In total, Thunder Dan has been on staff with NC State for 20 years.

A four-time letterwinner at linebacker for the Pack from 1999-2002, Burnette was named first-team All-ACC as a senior in 2002. He was also the Wolfpack’s co-MVP and a team captain that season. His 24 tackles against Clemson in 2001 is tied as the second most in a game in school history and he ranks second in career tackles with 476. His 41 career tackles-for-loss also rank ninth in school history.

Locklear began as a volunteer with the NC State Football Coaching Staff in 2018. In 2019, he officially joined the staff as a Graduate Assistant, which was a role he served in for 2 seasons. Since 2021, Locklear has been an Offensive Quality Control Coach. In total, he has been on NC State’s coaching staff for 7 years (6 paid).

As a player, Locklear spent his first two seasons with the Wolfpack as a walk-on. He redshirted the 2013 season, and missed the entire 2014 season recovering from a broken leg. In 2015, Locklear received a scholarship prior to the season, and went on to play in all 12 games, catching 7 passes for 75 yards. Over three seasons, he played in 36 games, collecting 12 receptions for 107 yards. Locklear played high school ball right down the road at Apex High.

Gallaspy joined the Strength and Conditioning staff prior to Fall Camp this year, working under Burnette.

From 2015-2018, Gallaspy rushed for 2,146 yards, which ranks 14th in NC State history. His 29 rushing touchdowns ranks 6th. In 2018, Gallaspy was a touchdown machine, with 18 rushing touchdowns, which is tied for the most in school history in a single season. His 5 rushing touchdowns against UNC that year is also tied for the most in a single game.

Jones joined NC State’s Recruiting Staff back in March of this year.

He played for the Wolfpack from 2014-2018. Jones was a 3-year starter, and is one of only 42 players in NC State history 2 be named 1st Team All-ACC 2+ times, earning the honor in 2017 and 2018.

Out of the 6 former NC State Football players currently on staff, 4 played under Doeren (Locklear, Moore, Jones and Gallaspy), and 2 of them played before his arrival (Aughtry-Lindsay & Burnette).

It says something about the culture of your program, and the family like bond that happens within it, when former players come back to work for the college they played at. It also says something about Coach Doeren. He believes in former players, and wants to be a part of furthering their careers. Doeren knows they bring more than talent to the locker room and weight room. They bring more than a love for the game…they bring a love for NC State.