NC State athletes and Dave Doeren discuss expectations

It has been a long time since the expectations around NC State football were this high. Now, with 17 starters returning this season and five preseason All-ACC selections on the roster, the Wolfpack is not running from the hype. 

While they hear the noise around their team, the preseason accolades, the projected second-place finish in the ACC and more, they are not letting the outside voices get to their heads. Head coach Dave Doeren, super senior center Grant Gibson, fifth-year redshirt junior quarterback Devin Leary, super senior safety Tanner Ingle and fifth-year redshirt junior linebacker Payton Wilson each spoke about how the team is handling expectations after Wednesday’s practice. 

Head Coach Dave Doeren

Doeren was the first person to address the media Wednesday and started off by noting how exciting it was to be back on the field with everyone, including the athletes returning from injury. He also made it clear that NC State has been discussing how to deal with high expectations for months. 

“We’ve talked about that since January. Last year’s stats don’t win this year’s games. We know that. We’ve got some key pieces that we’ve got to replace, particularly on offense and at punter. There’s a lot of work to do.

“We are not going to earn any of the wins listening to things or hearing things from you guys. It is appreciated, and these guys have earned the opportunity. I think they are very aware of what we have to do to stay where we want to be.

“Make no mistake about it. We’re excited to play other people. We’re excited to get back on the grass. That bowl experience we had, I think, has left a big chip there to get back out and play a game.”

Center Grant Gibson

The All-ACC center returns to NC State this season as a stabilizing force in the offense. Gibson discussed the Wolfpack’s returning talent this season and mentioned how it impacts day-to-day competition in practice.

“We had two team drills today, and [Moore] called out every play,” Gibson said. “For me, it’s frustrating, but that’s also going to help me out.”

With a defense as smart and talented as NC State’s, Gibson said it will push the offense to improve as well. 

Gibson is not worried about the program’s past, the records the Pack could break or the droughts the team could end this year. Instead, the center is locked in on leading NC State in the middle of a talented offensive line. The 2022 Wolfpack could be the team that takes the program to new heights, but Gibson said the team has to remain focussed in order to do so.

“We believe that we can be the team to do that, but we also understand that we have to go out there and do it,” Gibson said. “All the hype and stuff is good, but that doesn’t win games. The stuff that we do out there on the field is what’s going to get the job done.”

Safety Tanner Ingle 

Tanner Ingle is well aware that NC State’s most-recent ACC championship is 1979, and he knows the impact adding another conference title to the trophy case would have on the football program.

“It would mean a lot for everybody that goes here,” Ingle said. “Coach Doeren talks about it all the time. You see guys from the ’70s that will come in flashing that ring. It would live on forever. It would be a legacy. We want to be a part of it.”

Quarterback Devin Leary

The all-conference quarterback picked up one of the most prestigious honors of the preseason— ACC Preseason Player of the Year. He discussed what that accolade meant to him but also said he cares first and foremost about NC State’s success on the field. 

“It’s a huge honor,” Leary said. “It’s definitely a huge honor to be recognized at that national stage. But for me, I know that the biggest thing, with personal accolades, it comes with team success. That has always been my priority. As long as our team is doing good, all those personal accolades and recognition will just follow up with that.”

Linebacker Payton Wilson

NC State’s linebacker room, and the talents of All-ACC athletes super senior Isaiah Moore, Payton Wilson and fourth-year junior Drake Thomas, are significant sources of excitement around the program. Wilson said the linebackers don’t talk about the expectations surrounding their position group much. 

“Coach Doeren calls it rat poison,” Wilson said. “The media, they’re going to love you until you’re doing bad, so we kind of keep that out because, no matter what anyone else says, they can’t be in-between those whistles with us, and we’ve got to go out there and prove it.”