NC State coach Dave Doeren stresses ‘finishing’ with Gasparilla Bowl on horizon

NC State coach Dave Doeren is a unique character. He was admitted to the U.S. Naval Academy with aspirations of becoming a doctor in high school. The former tight end, however, changed his career path at Drake, where he knew he wanted to help others in a different way: Coaching. 

He’s also an old-school soul, one that believes in completing what one starts. He’s used that analogy throughout his career at NC State, and it’s one that rings true with the 13th-year coach as the Wolfpack prepares for next week’s Gasparilla Bowl against Memphis at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

While opting out of bowls has become the norm for players, and 13 teams elected to do the same (most notably Notre Dame saying no to its Pop-Tarts Bowl bid), Doeren doesn’t believe in that. 

“I’ve always looked at bowl games as a reward that you earn,” Doeren said Thursday. “I don’t understand opt outs, period. Football is about finishing. I look at football as a gladiator sport. To me, that’s throwing in the towel. That’s just not how I’m built. I don’t like the word ‘opt out’ in life, period. I don’t get that. I’m not wired that way. I hate that football, it’s now acceptable for players to do it and now teams are doing it.”

While Doeren is appreciative of playing in a bowl, he noted he’d like to see the college football calendar change. Some teams opted out of the postseason due to coaching changes, which appeared to rub him the wrong way. He wants the coaching hiring cycle to begin once seasons are over, which would result in an earlier starting date to finish before the second semester begins. 

After all, he dealt with it himself as he left Northern Illinois before its Orange Bowl appearance at the end of the 2012 campaign to take the job at NC State. It was also a factor last season as defensive coordinator Tony Gibson missed the Military Bowl after accepting the head coaching position at Marshall.

“I think we can build a calendar that makes this a finisher sport, and that takes leadership. We need the people up top to look at this thing because it’s broken badly,” Doeren said. “How can a game not be meaningful? Every game matters to me. I want to win every game we play and I want our kids to feel that way and our coaches to feel that way. None of us should have other people trying to make us not finish the job that we’re paid to do.”

NC State is looking to earn its first bowl win under Doeren since 2017 and it will do so against a Memphis squad that boasts an interim coach after Ryan Silverfield bolted for Arkansas. The Wolfpack is expecting to see some new wrinkles from the Tigers in the game, but don’t expect a complete scheme change with the early bowl date. 

Similarly, the Wolfpack is working some new plays into its own game plan, but not many major changes with a tight turnaround. 

Although the bowl practice schedule is abbreviated with an early postseason game, NC State will still get valuable reps in for its younger players. After all, many of them, including redshirt freshman defensive back Asaad Brown Jr. and freshman safety Tristan Teasdell, have been thrust into starting roles due to the regular season littered with injuries. 

The one thing that is for certain is if any Wolfpack players make their intentions to enter the transfer portal known before the bowl, it’s safe to say that they won’t be playing in the game. So far, only redshirt junior Val Erickson has said he’ll enter when the portal opens on Jan. 2, likely leaving him off the trip to Florida. 

“I’ve always felt like if a guy’s in the portal, he’s not all in on helping you win. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a team that agrees with me on that. Guys understand my frame of mind,” Doeren said. “Going into a game with a guy that’s not all in is hard. You try not to put your mind there with guys. They understand how I’m built. I think that’s why they came here, they want to play for a guy that believes in those kinds of things. But it’s the reality of football right now.”

Speaking of the transfer portal, some have speculated whether or not sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey would entertain other options after his first full season as the team’s starter. He has thrown for 2,884 yards with 23 touchdowns and nine interceptions on a 69.6 percent completion rate, while rushing for another 215 yards and five more scores on 82 attempts. 

At this point, it’s all “outside noise” in the terms of the Pack coaching staff. As Bailey looked at it, he is focused on helping the program to its first postseason win in eight years. 

“[I’m] just think[ing] about this game coming up and let everything else handle itself,” said Bailey, who noted he will talk with his parents after the bowl. “I’m not too much into what’s going on outside of what’s in this building right now. That’s getting that win in the bowl game.”

A win would be the cherry on top of the Wolfpack’s strong finish to the 2025 campaign. The team, which lost four of five in the middle of the season, went 3-1 in the month of November to surge down the stretch. 

Doeren, who has won at least eight games in seven of his first dozen seasons, is looking to add one more to that total this fall.

“It gives you a little momentum. For a coach and a player, when you lose a game, you don’t get rid of that until you play the next game. And that’s a long way from now in Brazil,” Doeren said. “None of us want that. We all want to finish on a good note. Winning four out of the last five games, that would be hell of a season for these guys with all we’ve dealt with injury wise.”