NC State coach Dave Doeren on senior day: ‘It means a lot to me to be a part of a journey’

A young Timothy McKay sat in his living room when NC State coach Dave Doeren walked through the front door nearly a decade ago. He was in eighth grade at the time, but as his older brother, Matthew, was being recruited by the Pack, Timothy had a front row seat to the action. 

Before Doeren left the McKay household that evening, he joked with the up-and-coming offensive lineman. 

“I’ll be back for you someday,” Doeren said at the time. 

And he was right. Matthew spent three seasons with the Pack from 2017 to 2019 and Timothy eventually became a mainstay on the offensive line for NC State. He has played in 50 games for the Pack — 2,579 total snaps — through his five seasons in Raleigh, his hometown. 

Now, Timothy McKay and 19 other graduate students or seniors are set to play his final game at Carter-Finley Stadium against Duke on Saturday afternoon. 

McKay will be joined by tackle Anthony Belton; linebacker Devon Betty; cornerback Corey Coley; center Zeke Correll; safety Bishop Fitzgerald; linebacker Walt Gerard; defensive lineman Dylan Gray; offensive lineman Dawson Jaramillo; running back Demarcus Jones II; safeties DK Kaufman and KJ Martin; quarterback Grayson McCall; tight end Reid Mitchell; defensive end Noah Potter; quarterback Ethan Rhodes; kicker Collin Smith; defensive end Davin Vann; running back Jordan Waters and cornerback Aydan White in playing their last game in Raleigh. 

For McKay, who grew up surrounded by NC State in the City of Oaks, he believes his final run out of the tunnel will be fun before lining up against the Blue Devils. 

“I’m excited to go out there and play with my guys,” McKay said this week. “In-state school playing Duke, they beat us last year. A lot of emotions, but you have to control it and just play your game.”

But as NC State prepares for another senior day, Doeren believes it is one of the best things he can do as a coach. He called the pregame festivities “pretty heavy” as he described his emotions going into the weekend. 

“Whenever your recruiting started with them when they’re 15, 16, 17 years old and now all the sudden, they’re 23 and graduated,” Doeren said. “There’s a lot of memories, a lot of love. It means a lot to me to be a part of a journey.”

“That’s what I love about coaching football,” he continued. “I actually get to have an integral role in raising somebody else’s sons and helping them reach the goals they have for themselves here.”

The journey that each of the seniors Doeren has watched appears to have touched him, especially when he’s able to relive that as the players are introduced to the sold-out crowd of 56,919 before kickoff. 

Jones, a running back, is likely one of those players that will draw emotion from Doeren. He began his career as an eager local walk-on looking for an opportunity to contribute. Jones, who has done a little bit of everything on the field for the Pack, did just that despite battling multiple injuries during his time at NC State. 

“It means a lot,” said Jones, who has logged 36 carries for 94 yards and two touchdowns over his five seasons with the Wolfpack. “I started out as a walk-on and earned a scholarship. It’s just been a blessing to be able to play in my hometown. … Just being from around here, a blue-collar school, it’s just a blessing.”

While there are more players like Jones, who has spent his entire career at NC State, the Wolfpack will honor six players that have been with the Pack for just one season: Coley, Correll, Kaufman, Martin, McCall and Waters. 

Even though they have not been with the program for the duration of their collegiate career, Doeren said senior day is still a special moment to share with the well-traveled collegiate transfers. 

“You build friendships with these guys that will sustain their post-college life,” Doeren said of the one-year transfers. “Some of them are deeper than others. Being with somebody for three days versus four years, it’s what happens in those three days. If you met someone you were an acquaintance with for four years or someone you were good friends with for three days. It’s really about the things that happen in the time you’re with them.”

As Doeren prepared himself for what could be an emotional pregame ceremony, he noted what it has been like to watch each player grow while spending time at his program. No matter how many downs they played or the number of touchdowns they scored, Doeren watches each player the same. 

In a way, they’re NC State career has become a staple of their life. And Doeren is able to relive that once more with the player and his friends and family for a brief moment. 

“You see a guy smiling and crying on senior day, I see a guy that I’ve known since he was 14,” Doeren said. “I know how far he’s come, the things he’s been through and the great things that he’s done. It’s not like a eulogy, they’re not passing away, but you look at their life going backwards as a coach.”

“This class is no different than the others. They poured a lot of work into our program and we’re very thankful for that.”