Dave Doeren updates NC State football preseason camp progress

NC State football head coach Dave Doeren met with the media Wednesday to update the progress of the Pack’s preseason camp. Here are highlights from that Q&A as well as video courtesy TheWolfpacker.com’s YouTube Channel.

Dave Doeren Q&A

On status of NC State football team since start of preseason camp:
Dave Doeren: “Well, it’s great to be out there today. Yesterday was brutal hot, I think the hottest day in 15 years. Guys actually managed the heat well. Tomorrow’s a big scrimmage. Last one before we have a game in two weeks so excited to see the growth of a team from last Thursday to this Thursday scrimmage.

“But it’s been a fun camp. Today was a big red zone day. Tomorrow we’ll get them underneath the ball. You see consistent play out of some players and the biggest thing we’re looking for is just the individual improvement on a daily basis and to get the little things each day with different guys. Overall it’s been good.”

On desired improvements from first scrimmage:
Dave Doeren: “It would take five hours to explain all that. Every guy on the field has areas to get better. We played in a downpour last Thursday. Hopefully we will at least have a day without rain where we can try to run a normal place. I want to see if we can throw and catch in the stadium. We weren’t really throwing the ball a ton in rain that day. Want to see guys finish blocks and biggest areas just fewer mistakes, mental errors and things that you would expect in your first scrimmage.

“It’s the growth, kind of people talk about growth between the first game the second game. I’m expecting to see similar growth between the two scrimmages. Continued competition for the specialists, too, see those guys kicking in the stadium.”

On areas standing out:
“Our defensive line play. I knew with three older guys coming back — Savion [Jackson], CJ [Clark], Davin [Vann]. But just the legs and the freshness that we have in there right now. I mean we will play multiple guys — Brandon [Cleveland], Noah Potter, Red Hibbler, Isaiah Shirley — there’s good rotation in there. There’s a lot of production. So it’s been an area we’ve been really excited about.

“I think linebacking corp has a lot of eyes on that, losing two starters and it’s been fun to see Jaylon Scott and Devon Betty and Caden Fordham emerging opportunities in there and one of the young linebackers Kamal Bonner has had a huge camp as well.”

On kicking competition:
Dave Doeren: “Not yet, we’ll probably have a real good feel after tomorrow. They’re all doing well.”

On overall depth:
Dave Doeren: “Depends on the day, you know? Right now it’s pretty good, but it’s a day to day thing. There’s good competitive depth on our roster. It’s good young players developing at the same time. So we still got two weeks. Hopefully we can kind of stay in the same place. Most of the things we’re dealing with are very minor.”

On conference realignment:
Dave Doeren: “One, just try to do the best I can where I’m at. And NC State’s in a good place. Love the fact that our conference has stayed kind of what it is and people haven’t left. I know there’s a lot of chatter and different things like that. But this time of year, it’s really hard as a coach to spend all your time thinking about things that are out of your control.

“From a naturalist standpoint, it’s disappointing to see some traditional rivalries break up in college football. I don’t like that. I think a lot of people probably feel the same way. Losing hundreds of years of in-state rivalries in some cases. I was a part of that when I was at Kansas, and Kansas-Missouri game stopped. That was tough, as a native to that state, to see that that no longer existed, and you’re seeing it in other conferences as well. I don’t think that’s good for any sport, especially for when we’re in.”

On super senior linebacker Jaylon Scott’s persistence:
Dave Doeren: “I think in today’s world, there’s so many exits that guys can take easy ways to avoid adversity and move on with your life. And in Jaylon’s case, he’s grown up a ton here and we’re so proud of the man he’s becoming and what he’s done. It’s not easy sitting behind players, but for him the personal growth, person he’s became through all that adversities, has really helped him. So we’re excited for him and he’s playing really well.”

On recent in-state recruiting successes:
Dave Doeren: “We’re excited about recruiting. I can’t comment on guys, but things are good and in-state has always been something that we try to do. We want our young men in the state of North Carolina to stay home. We want them to play for us when we feel like they’re that kind of player, and it’s helpful for their families. They get to be close by and be a part of the experience with them. It’s helpful for the young man to get time off, they can go home and be around their siblings or grandparents. I think part of that, for us, was a huge, huge push when I first got here. I think the roster was less than half and in-state now it’s closer to 70 percent, so it’s something that we take a lot of pride in.”