NC State HC Dave Doeren critiques recruiting calendar: 'The rules that have been levied do not make sense'
NC State enjoyed the benefits of the extra years of eligibility produced by the Covid-19 pandemic. Payton Wilson returned for his sixth season and Davin Vann came back for his fifth. Both players seized the opportunity and the Pack enjoyed their success.
That does not mean the uncertainty produced by the rule was any less stressful. The coaching staff had to plan for a future without a complete picture of what’s to come. NC State did not know how many scholarships it would have for future years as the staff recruited prep classes and navigated the portal.
For the first time in a few years, Doeren will not have to worry about whether or not his seniors are returning for another season. For most of them, this week’s clash with Duke will be, definitively, their final chance to make plays in Carter-Finley Stadium.
“We have 20 players on our team that are out of eligibility, and, after this game, they’ll never walk through that tunnel with their uniform on again to play a game,” Doeren said. “They’re some remarkable young men. It’s an honor to be there with them in the tunnel one more time at home.”
Doeren has previously critisized the all-out chaos that is a college coach’s schedule in December. The NCAA moved signing day up to Dec. 4— one month from Monday. So, is roster management any easier without the worry of the Covid year in the back of his mind?
“Man, I wish it was,” Doeren said.
The head coach used to enjoy December’s in-home visits. Those aren’t allowed any more. It used to be a month of celebration that included bowl prep and signing day. Now, the Pack is instead preparing for the transfer portal, free-for-all stretch of unregulated free agency that will open up after early signing day for the first time this year.
NC State will sign a group of prep players to match the needs this staff thinks it has to address for next year. But the Pack won’t truly know how many scholarships to fill until most high school prospects have already signed.
All of that, combined with the NCAA’s upcoming scholarship limit expansion, puts coaches all over the country in a tough spot.
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“Our roster now goes from 85 to 105, but it doesn’t go to 105 until May,” Doeren said. “You can only have 85 in December, but you’re supposed to have 105 in May, but the signing date is in December.
“So tell me how that makes sense. That’s where college football is right now. It’s crazy, you know? It’s really not roster management. It’s roster mismanagement. It’s what’s happening, and it’s not the coach’s fault. The rules that have been levied do not make sense.”
Doeren called for common sense to prevail. He wants to see the four power conference commissioners sit down with a group of coaches and hammer out a calendar for this stretch of the year that actually makes more sense for everyone.
The transfer portal opens Dec. 9 and closes Dec. 28. NC State’s first day of classes is Jan. 6. In less than a month, the Wolfpack has to identify and address most of the remaining needs on its roster.
“It’s different times right now, and it’s going to be fun to watch, I guess, for the media and for all the recruiting pundits and everybody else but, as a coach, it’s different,” Doeren said.
