NC State Head Football Coach Dave Doeren met with ESPN’s David Hale and Adrienne Anderson on Inside Access. You can watch the video below, and read the transcript underneath.
AA: Well, there are a lot of topics, obviously, that the football coaches talked about, and I know one of the big ones is the transfer portal window and the calendar. It seems like there’s agreement that there should be one portal window, maybe not agreement on when it should be, whether it should be January or in the spring. Where did the coaches leave things as part of your discussions here?
DD: Everyone agreed unanimously that we should have one window.
And like you said, because of academics and when some people start school in the wintertime, moving it more towards the spring favors some schools, keeping it at the end of the beginning of the semester favors some. But I think we were all very, very strong on just having one so that you can figure out who your team is at the end of that and move forward and having some flexibility. And our spring practice schedule was a part of that, too, so based on where they place it in the calendar, we can get the guys together and teach them the systems.
DH: I feel like most years here, you’re talking about, hey, let’s get our spring games on TV. And now that whole conversation has changed a bit. Do you see spring evolving into something that looks more like an NFL model?
DD: I think more access is something we all want.
We want to be with our guys. We want to get on the grass and help them develop. And having more opportunity to do that, more flexibility when we do that is good for us and them.
Whether it’s more NFL-like, I’m not sure yet. But the models we’re talking about would give us more access and flexibility.
AA: What would that do to benefit you guys, having that access, flexibility, maybe a couple of OTA-style practices as well?
DD: Yeah, I think the helmet only or no helmet opportunity to go out and just have a football and go through your schemes, even if it’s not against each other, if it’s just on air, is very beneficial, especially if you’re bringing in some guys after spring ball to be able to continue to go out and teach what you do with them and help them understand before fall camp starts.
DH: It feels, again, putting a bunch of coaches in a room, you’re not going to agree on anything. But it does feel like, ‘hey, things are so chaotic, anything is better than where we are now. Maybe we don’t find perfection here, but it’s better if we can just move forward on something.’
DD: Yeah, I think better is what we’re looking for. I said it yesterday, I feel like we’re putting Band-Aids on bullet holes a lot of the times. Our calendar, we fix something here and then there’s impact on something down the line and the unintended consequences over and over and over have created this.
I’m excited that there’s a lot of talk about a 365-day review of our calendar and they need to start with the end, in my opinion. When do we want football to end and then work backwards? If the playoff expands, then the season could even get longer, right? I think the ending is really important. Do we want to be a two-semester sport? I think all of us say no on that.
So trying to get the last game in prior to when the second semester is starting and backing up things would be ideal, in my opinion.
AA: You mentioned a possible CFP expansion. We’re headed that way.
It’s either going to be 14 or 16. CFP Executive Director General Richard Clark was here just fielding questions from the coaches about the format, what possible changes may look like. What did you take away from some of the conversations you all had with him?
DD: Obviously, there’s a lot of success and fandom around the playoffs and the success that the bowls still have from a viewership standpoint.
It was good to see all the results from that. Access is what we want. The AQ part of it, the automatic qualifiers, you hear leagues lobbying for what they want and obviously we’re going to do the same.
We believe, because of our track record at the end of seasons with Clemson and Florida State, that our league has proven they belong in that. Whether it’s three AQs or however many teams get in, bumping up what we have now is critical for the ACC. I think the track record is deserving of that.
DH: Before we came down here, there was tons of buzz. Everybody was very excited about this coach from the state of North Carolina that was going to be here. I assumed it was you.
It turns out there’s another guy here that people have been wanting to talk about. What’s it been like sitting in a meeting with a guy who’s got six Super Bowl rings?
DD: He has a lot of insight. We’re talking about all these things that are semi-like the NFL now when you talk about NIL and obviously rev share and how that equates.
Then we get into the officiating and some of the things going on. There’s definite insight. You talk about him and Coach O’Brien and the intel that they have.
Coach O’Brien and him were together, too. They have a lot of experience. Hearing those guys talk and Frank Reich, same thing.
You get the NFL side of things. It’s beneficial, and it’s nice having that different perspective on things in the meeting.
AA: Have you crossed paths on the recruiting trail yet? No, have not.
We don’t get to go out much. We were just talking.
I was talking to Brent Key at breakfast, and our assistants are on the road right now. They can do home visits now in the spring, which when we were assistants, you couldn’t do that in the spring. The head coach used to recruit in the spring, and now December’s dead, which is where I used to recruit a lot, and I can’t go out in the spring.
The assistants are out there grinding, and here we are in a hotel, the most beautiful place in America. We’re sitting in a room for 14 hours yesterday. Could have been in the middle of North Dakota.
DH: Let’s talk about your team a little bit. I came away so impressed with how CJ Bailey handled himself last year because he was thrown into the fire probably before he was ready, and he grew a lot. Sometimes when you’re a freshman and you are thrown into the fire like that, it requires the offseason for you to be able to go back and reestablish the foundation, figure out what you did.
How have you seen him progress in the last few months since the season ended?
DD: He’s, first of all, an amazing young man. Just being around him, he just loves being in the building. Everything about being with his teammates, getting coached, competing, getting better.
He’s hard on himself, but not in a way where it gets in the way of him getting to the next play. He really wants to help the team win. I love his ownership and everything that he does.
He’s worked really hard this offseason in being a leader. It’s the first time I’ve had a returning starter at quarterback in a while. For me, it’s been a lot of fun.
Normally, in the last two springs, we’ve had a new quarterback that was a transfer. You’re trying to teach everything to him about your program. With CJ being a returning starter and one that played really well and has the respect of his teammates, his coaches, it’s leadership that we’re talking about and high-level learning.
Instead of a 175-pound guy that’s trying to learn how to be in college, he’s 210 pounds now. He looks great. He knows our offense.
He’s learning other things, intricate things about playing the position, about reading defenses, and talking about leadership. I’m thankful to have a returning starter at quarterback and really excited about what he’s doing.
AA: We mentioned earlier you made coordinator changes.
Obviously, the team is going to look different even though CJ is coming back, and you do have some key guys coming back. We talked earlier how the vibe of the team just feels a little bit different maybe than at this point last offseason. How have you seen this group come together that gives you the faith, confidence, and belief that we’re going to see a really good year out of the Wolfpack this year?
DD: In years past when we didn’t hit our mark, I guess you would say, the following season has always been a very hungry group.
It’s a team that has a lot to prove and a coach that feels the same way. We left a lot on the table. We lost five games and one possession games last year, and so you win six with five gut-wrenching losses.
You know how close you were, but those details are in coaching and executing as players and focusing more as players. They’ve been really coachable. They understand how important every play is, and to execute a play, all the detail has to be right.
It’s been fun to be around them. They really want to get better, and as a coach, it’s refreshing. Instead of guys just feeling like they’re there and they got it, it’s the opposite.
What can we do to be better? Just a coachable group of guys that has a chip on their shoulder, and that obviously fits our DNA.
DH: I was going to say, that sounds like NC State to a tee.
DD: It’s a fun group. I’m excited to get back with them.
AA: All right, Dave
We’ll look forward to seeing it, and same time next year right here at this desk, right?
DD: Hopefully I’ll be here.
DH: Hopefully all of us will be.
AA: Yes, hopefully all of us will be.
Appreciate you joining us, Dave. Thank you so much.
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