NC State Preview w/ Dave Doeren

[Music] [Music] happy football season everybody and welcome in to the gramlick and mlan podcast presented by Les the official Supermarket of GRL and mlan today Eric claim we are talking about the pack babyc stank I am not sure that we have lived in an off season with more NC State hope and hype and I mean legitimate like when you look at their schedule it yeah it all seems to be moving in a good direction for NC statement yeah well let's just stop start off the top rope here give me that stat that you tweeted out a handful of weeks ago whatever it was that should set the stage in just everyone's mindset of where NC State is this year and what they should be able to do all right ma there are seven ACC teams that have a win total of eight or more eight and a half or more you know should win nine or more and of those seven NC State's one of them their win total at last check was eight and a half yeah of those seven teams NC State plays one of them Clemson they do have to play at Clemson but still they play one of them that is crazy it's all shaping up it reminds me a little bit I've seen some people talking about this on Twitter a little bit of that Louisville schedule last year oh yeah where maybe Louisville wasn't the second best team in the league maybe they were but they were able to beat who they needed to beat to get to Charlotte and yeah perhaps that's where NC State could find themselves Ma and see here here's the biggest difference to me they have that schedule and I think they legit could be you know the first best team in the ACC when you look at Talent we're going to talk all about it with Coach Dave Dorne here we're not going to give any more secrets we'll talk more on the other side love this interview always you know a pleasure to talk with Coach Dorne so without further Ado quick message from our friends over at Engles and then Coach Dorne here we go at Eng Les we know your closest companions are the ones who are always there for you the ones you trust to have your back no matter what who make the hard times a little softer and the good ones somehow a little better that's what family is all about whether they walk on two legs or four Les all the ingredients for [Music] family Coach Dave Dorne welcome back to the podcast brother it's great to see you you look fantastic you're in your office uh I know you want to be on the river but we got to work we got to go to work here I do want to hear the fishing stories though because it's summertime have you had any yet do you have any down the road coming up yeah I've been really lucky uh been fly fishing twice up in the mountains near Boone and and had some killer days up there some Browns and rainbows and then uh then we went offshore me and my son Conor and a buddy of his and uh we caught five blue Marlon and a white Marlon in one day which is pretty epic apparently I didn't know it was that big a deal but the guys on the boat were going crazy and it was my son's first Marlin catch so you know they had him jump off the bat of the boat and we docked and was pretty cool to see those guys were excited and I'm taking one of my players out Thursday to hopefully catch a bunch of bass in this guy's Pond that he's bragging about so yeah you got to find time to get on the water man it's dizzy for sure but you also need that uh selfcare and that's my best selfcare there is no doubt no doubt man I love that I do have to ask you this because I know you're you're an Avid Angler an a Avid fisherman here tell me if this is bizarre if this is normal so my my father-in-law's company they went fishing a couple of weeks ago in the mountains I think in Tennessee uh and my father-in-law has fished a ton he caught nothing all day long there was a guy that had never fished before in his life and caught like 20 rainbows I mean is that is that just beginner's luck is that right spot right time what's the deal with that I mean this guy didn't even know what he was doing yeah well catching Trout's about having the right fly on the line and presenting it proper way to them and and uh obviously one guy was doing that and the other wasn't but uh yeah you can be a really good fisherman and strike out if you got the wrong thing on the end of your line beginner's luck Mac I think that's what that was coach you mentioned you're going fishing with one of your players what what does a player have to do to get on that level where he gets the fishing invite yeah he's got to be a baller right no um taking KC I'm guessing you're taking KC no Jordan Waters Jordan Waters and I no he's just been asking me since he got here he loves to bass fish and you know I've been trying to find a way to do it with them and we we got a date that works for both of us so yeah a lot of our guys go out we send each other pictures of fish we catch and yeah it's not often I get to go with a players so I'm looking forward to that that's really cool coach okay well speaking of Jordan Waters that goes well into our next question um you guys absolutely killed it in the portal in the off season um one of the best classes I think that most people would agree on that we know that High School recruiting is still a big lifeblood of your program how do you balance that in this new world order because it feels like this year you guys really tried to make a splash in the portal yeah you know I think it's more need-based for us uh I still prefer you know growing guys up in our program uh from 18 to 22 and um and that's an emphasis for us you know last year we had a an interesting team you know we had our seniors that left and we had several guys that were beat out by younger players that were in the program you know for three or four years that just wanted to get on the field and take advantage of the portal that way and you know when a kid's been here that long and he's not playing the way that we all think he should be playing U from a depth standpoint we understand that and so we just had more room you know to go get some more guys and and there was holes in the roster um because of you know I guess you'd say the departure of some older players and that allowed us to be competitive and and our Collective has done a great job making our nil here competitive and U you know kids want to know what guys on the team are getting and and so all those factors you know play into it we also had you know a freshman KC that you mentioned uh that stayed home instead of leaving uh and had a lot of options to leave the state and you know one of the things we talk about about is when you stay home you have a chance to to really help yourself you know the state of North Carolina is going to support the instate kids in a big way and he was an All-American and player of the years as a freshman and a lot of his friends went elsewhere and and witnessed that and stood behind other players and didn't play and I think you know they wanted to come back and experience what he's experiencing so we had a lot of guys that we didn't get the year before that came down to us and one other or two two other schools um that realized being home is better and they came back you know and so it was just kind of unique how that all played out because we really didn't have we had the space for him but it wasn't you know thought out just it just kind of happened to be honest you know a couple of them said we're coming and then all of them came together and yeah it was unique it unique for sure and and amazing I mean just the fact that that it happened that way and it coach it felt like there was a a run there where I was texting you every other day my gosh these guys just keep you know rolling in there and it's fun to see and I think the homecoming thing it even shows you more how important relationships are nowadays because you never know even if you miss on a guy once you never know when that you know full circle moment might happen and you know never to have a bad taste in your mouth and keeping a relationship you know at foot even if they make another decision um which I think is amazing we're going to talk about a handful of these guys because you just have so many impactful players but you know one guy that I just don't think you know maybe on a on a supernational level whatever is getting enough credit as Grayson Mcall your quarterback I mean this is a guy that is an absolute freak I love the way he plays 10,000 yard passer 88 touchdowns in his career and oh by the way he's just the three-time reigning you know Player of the Year at his previous conference why was he such a great fit for NC State and why was NC State such a great fit for him yeah I mean I couldn't have asked for a better quarterback to come in here uh Grayson's a leader uh his uh uh confidence and um humility the way they match up you know uh when he walks in the room you can say that's a dude right there like you can just feel his presence and it's not cocky but he's a winner and when he gets going competing he just fits the DNA of FY State he's a blue collar tough kid he was under recruited in high school you know ran the ver in high school and so nobody in the ACC recruited him so he's got a big chip on his shoulder to show our league that he's more than good enough that he's the best player in this league and I'm excited for him you know I'm really excited for him I'm proud of him he's done a great job stepping into the locker room and just being himself being real and being vulnerable with his teammates uh he's very accurate as a thrower more mobile probably than expected I mean we all knew he could run but he's really comfortable running not just as a a play call but you know the way he can scramble to get yards or scramble to throw and he's got so many reps he's seen so much on the field and the thing that I like the most about him when you watch him in the big games he plays his best football um and it's the same in practice when it becomes a scrimmage he moves the ball I mean the guy knows how to get first downs and touchdowns and he protects it and I mean I think it's it's over a period of time right it's not like a guess it's not like a one-off year I mean you have this proven you you know kind of success here the the thing you mentioned though about the Reps and that I brought up too with with the stats and the yardage how I know he's a quarterback so it's a little bit different he's very protected in practice but how do you manage that you know just from a a physical standpoint of you know you've had some older guys that stuck around I think of pton last year and the way you limited now again those are two very drastically different spots in regards to physicality and practice but knowing that he has to hey get these reps to soak in what we do but also hey we got to protect him and and make sure he's good Go the whole way what does that look like or is it am I talking to myself out of it he's a quarterback it's it's not really the same well it is easier at quarterback because they're not getting hit um you know and that's what you worry the most about is the contact when you're trying with pton for example but uh more with the quarterback it's the arm you know you have to be smart about the arm and how many throws is enough throws um you want to get him enough because the chemistry the offense flows through the quarterback so that the guys around them you know they're on the same page and he has those banked reps with them because that's even though he's played a lot he hasn't played a lot with these guys and and so you can't you got to get those reps in and and then you know developing the next guy is just as important as your starter and so CJ Bailey's a freshman and he's a really talented young guy and so we're we're making sure that he gets a lot too because as you know you're one play away from that guy being your guy and and we want CJ to be comfortable and ready coach I'm going to go a little Off Script here because you got me thinking because I'm thinking back to we did um ACC Network Live at the Lady Wolfpack game they were playing Virginia Tech was epic we it had Grayson mccallan we're talking to him I'm thinking this guy fits like he's he's exactly what NC State needs and then you think about what NC State's done this year two basketball teams in the final four you have the baseball team in the College World Series it's I I've seen different tweets like it's been the year of NC State in many respects you guys have a great year what is that meant for this program for this this athletic department and how has it helped you guys maybe get that it's still a massive brand we know but just the brand is everywhere it seems yeah I think it's really uh emphasized the success that's been happening obviously it puts it in another Stratosphere when you're talking about all four Sports uh that you mentioned being postseason play and that's not even bringing up what's going on with wrestling win and all these ACC championships and swimming and Diving and our our cross country team team national champions there's a lot of good stuff huk Horgan's done a great job as our athletic director and uh but I think more than anything you guys know this perception is reality in in the Wolfpack emblem has been on ESPN more and that matters it matters you know people are seeing it across Sports not just in football and basketball so it's very relevant uh the success that we're having and and I'm happy for the school I'm happy for the other sports and coaches and players players and they've earned it and I think that's the thing that NC State's most proud of is we believe in earn not given and we've earned that seat at the table and all these different sports and what's cool is that they've all had to battle through some pretty tough stuff just like we did last year to get to the end it wasn't like we were Front Runners you know we had to go beat a bunch of teams to to solidify our place in these things and and so I'm excited and we're just riding a wave right now man it's a huge huge Red Wave that's flying through this place and everybody's got the momentum together it's cool the Red Wave for sure coach okay you alluded to this earlier talking about Jordan taking him out fishing a guy like Hollywood Smothers who I think is one of the guys you were talking about went away to Oklahoma comes back he's a Charlotte kid this running back room I do not think people are talking about it enough this is something that I think can take you guys to another level that consistent running game what do you expect from this running back room this year yeah it's deep and Kendrick Rafael played well as a true freshman's gained a bunch of weight and looks great and we have a true freshman um Duke Scott that was impressive to say the least this spring and so we've got depth We've Got Talent uh and we have experience with Jordan you know and he's really a good role model in that room he's he's uh very about his business matter of fact um does the right things on and off the field and so he's helped coach go in that room immensely to show them what it looks like because there's a lot of young guys in there behind them but yeah we need that you know it's been a position that really has rotated a lot over the years um since we had bam Knight and Ricky persons you know it's been a while since we had a room like this and so we're excited to have that talent and competition in the room yeah yeah and and again just proven Commodities I mean that that's what I think is so impressive by a lot of these additions coach is is there is little to no guesswork with these guys we know what we're going to get it's just going to be what does it look like in red and black and uh you know it's going to be a lot of fun I I think one guy that that we do know what he looks like in red and black and we've alluded to him and touched on him a little bit already but Casey concepion was so special last year I mean the the the Rarity of seeing a guy that young that quickly uh you know number one produce the way he did but number two producing effect that it was a bunch of different ways I mean he's lining up all over the place he's running the ball he's catching the ball throwing the ball I'm sure um that's rare to see that it's rare to be able to put that on such a young guy H but how has he gotten even better how has he taken his game you know to another level that we see this year where you're just like again how is this guy doing this well I think the biggest jump in his game uh is the physical part of learning how to recover he's been in a college weight room now for a year uh he looks better you know he's definitely got an understanding of what it's like to have to sustain that long of a season now um and he's doing the right things off the field to take care of his body and I think that's where you'll see a jump uh you know his knowledge and feel for the game is very unique for a young guy and and none of us expected to put that weight on him his freshman year I mean it just that's how it played out and to his credit he accepted the challenge and did a great job you know our offense ran through one player last year after the by week we really just dug in how many times can we get him the ball how many ways and we have more people around him now to help him um which doesn't diminish his role but it allows us now to not allow a defense to pinpoint where he's at all the time with darari Collins and Noah Rogers Wesley Grimes um our tight end Justin Jolie had a great spring and then the running backs that you mentioned so we can spread the ball around now more and take some of the pressure off of him which will help him as well because you know last year after a couple games the whole team was pointing where he was at every snap not that they could stop him but they still were focused on him in a different way and so yeah and he can throw Eric he's probably our third best thrower right now I mean the guy can sling it and uh yeah not that he can go back and read coverage and all that but like he can really throw a football so two safties or one safety that's all we need to know coach two safeties or one safety it gives you some fun plays and you know coach and I he's always got stuff in the bag so it's been a fun offseason for him we just went out and visited the Kansas City Chiefs and it was amazing some of the stuff those guys do offensively just man to get his wheels turning wow that that's really interesting to hear and I know you know it may have been tougher on KC but he didn't really show it you know all that that was put on him um and he was just so much fun to watch when it comes to him you mentioned the other guys that are going to take some pressure off of him but when it comes to him Coach I know you've had some great freshmen in the past has anyone been like him where you just felt like like you said I mean you basically started running the offense through this guy who's 18-year-old kid I mean how unique was that for you D it very unique I mean we've had some freshman Bo Hines um who was only with us one year had a tremendous freshman year that was my second year here um Jaylen Samuels J Sam had a a really good freshman year but not not like KC where he was the player of the year in the conference as a freshman yeah he's definitely had the biggest impact on the offensive side of the ball for us that way yeah it's uh it's going to be fun to see him and as you mentioned all those guys coming in too just to be around them and other guys that you know it's it's their turn to step up you know that have been there you mentioned toari Collins and guys of that nature that you know again I I just think are so special at the wide receiver room but uh it's going to be fun to see it all come together and maybe see the final form of this offense and what we can expect uh we know how important the offensive line is love coach tuj the way that he does it the way that he brings that energy each and every day it's a joy to see him coached quite frankly and what he brings to the table but how have those guys been doing this offseason and what can we expect up front yeah I'm really excited about our o line you know um Anthony Belton and Tim McKay came back and had a chance to leave early for the NFL and they're developing nicely jarus Peaks really a guy that's worked hard in our offense and is getting bigger and we need him to continue to do that I think Zeke Carell joining us the 30 game starter from Notre Dame is a huge huge get you know losing we had Grant Gibson and Dylan McMahon before that Garrett Bradberry we've had a string of centers that have been really good players and great leaders and Zeke steps in and he's no different you know he's he's in command he's got great confidence and volume in his voice and he's seen a lot as a player um and so that old Line's jelling nicely I think the the backups are really critical piece as you know because you're sixth seventh and eighth guys are big on the o line and we feel really good about where that's going as well there's a big competition at our left guard spot and we've got three or four guys that are competing and that'll be a big part of training camp to see where that ends up coach you know it's tough for Mack and I but we do need to talk defense um and we know Tony Gibson he's he's gonna have that defense ready but I think the national narrative will be no pton Wilson right with this the the the staple of this defense for so many years has gone how do you guys adjust to that who steps up from a leadership role just where's your mindset with losing Payton and and where do you go from there well we've been one of the top defenses for three years and you know pton wasn't always a part of that you know we had Isaiah Moore We Had Drake Thomas um I think there's just going to be other guys that step in and take over and Shan Brown's a guy we've moved up to linebacker that'll be in that spot Payton was in that's a really good football player Aiden white you know knock on wood hasn't given up a touchdown in two years and he's a lock down corner Brandon ceesay on the other side's a really good Corner we just added three players in the portal in the back end and and Jihad Carter was an All-American two years ago at Syracuse and comes in from Ohio State really talented experienced guy that can help us in in the secondary and so you know we've got a lot of guys back I think our back end is maybe is competitive as we've had um Davin van is a force on the defensive line and man is he in a good spot like I've never seen him like he is right now he he's really really worked hard on himself and and uh is leading and he's going to be hard to block our defensive front is going to be really really talented so anytime you lose a good player it's not one person it's collectively getting better around the loss and I think defensively there's some Spirit behind the lack of talk about them right now I think they're enjoying how you going to be good without pton and uh that's who we are you know is trying to prove people wrong so I think it feeds to our identity yeah I love that it's kind of scary to think about a team uh you know a defense led by by Tony Gibson that uh is feeling a little disrespected uh that's going to be really fun to to see that and you know just talking about Coach Gibson and again I'm sure there's a ton of influence by yourself here as well but just watching him call plays and watching him call defenses and schemes and fronts and all these different things and the mad scientist kind of vibe around it I mean when that guy's in such a zone is that how fun is that to watch for you when when he's dialing it up and and really just giving people fits yeah it's beautiful to watch you know as a former defensive coordinator Tony does a tremendous job and he knows the scheme inside and out he's been running it since O2 and just has a lot of depth you know and recall and an ability to adjust uh in game he understands how he's going to be attacked if the offense does a good job and he has the answers you know and so the chess game that he can play it's he's on a different level because he knows what to do and he knows how to set up what he wants to do you know from game to game based on what he showed and what he should show next uh and he's an aggressive dude and that fits the personality of our team you know and he does a great job from a chemistry standpoint with his players his staff on his side of the ball yeah I mean we're fortunate you know to have such a good defensive coordinator and Tony does a great job leading you know and so I'm excited you know for him just he's added a bunch of different parts and now to see like Robert they gotta figure out how to use all these different pieces and that's the fun part of training camp you know is figuring out what you're going to do with the guys you have well coach you mentioned your coordinators there we've got this new element this year in college football with iPads on the sidelines and Coach to player communication in the helmets um I assume that your coordinators will be very involved with that how are you guys handling that as a program how do you expect it to to help well we used it all spring uh headset communication and so that was pretty seamless you know I felt like neither side really flinched on that it was nice to be able to talk to them not just about the play call but hey it's third and two you know and hey we're in the Red Zone just to give him some nuggets as you play because sometimes the game gets fast and you forget where you're at situationally the iPads are going to be interesting I think you know the in-game adjustment piece is going to be immediate and more clear uh you're relying on what you think you saw and information given from people upstairs or people on the field sometime hey what' you see can't lie to you anymore coach I can't tell you where the guy was you're gonna see it yeah that happens not I mean I don't think players make things up but sometimes they don't see what they think they see you know and so now the in-game adjustments are going to be a lot cleaner um you're going to get precise accurate on time information that you can make ingame adjust ad Ms I think halftime not that it's not important but it becomes less of a correction period and uh so that'll be interesting I think you know seeing what halftime looks like because you're going to be pretty done with your Corrections if you have a normal series on the field where you have time to talk to your guys and yeah you be able to review things on film and clean up things and and get guys probably playing better faster I would think sometimes there's things that happen I know for me when I was an assistant coach if a player made a mistake and I didn't see it he repeated the mistake I felt like I failed him in the game you know and so a lot of that should be eliminated you know you ought to be able to get guys corrected really quickly yeah man it's gonna be fun I mean there's so much change happening and I think this one is is a good one and I can't just wait to see how it affects the overall product speed of the game I mean will probably be sped up and like you said just a cleaner deal because we know what's happening right now it's going to be interesting to see just how everyone can can handle that because it is a lot to be able to watch film on the sideline and not be distracted at the same time looking at the schedule yeah I'm tell the other major change is the two-minute warning and and that's going to be interesting to see how many coaches don't use that situation properly I've right spent a ton of time studying game management with the additional two-minute break now and it's going to be it's a big it's a big big change people think it's just a two-minute warning it's not it's an extra time out each half exactly how you use your timeouts don't use your timeouts you know there's going to be a lot of guys that screw it up and so you guys will have it seriously it's gonna be interesting just to see how that plays out it will be it will be uh and again just so much change but looking at the schedule coach I think you know obviously every game is important and I I know that I've lived that but there's some games that that are a little different in the fact that you can write the narrative really quickly and with you guys playing Tennessee so early in Charlotte the expect on that program I mean everywhere I look I see that te involved in some type of playoff some type of best offense this and that and the other how do you use something like that or how do you see something like that as such a measuring stick for just where you are so early in the season knowing that hey we have we have so much ahead of us but this game is important for us to go fly this flag yeah you know I think you can't put too much into any game with your guys I think you have to prepare them all the same MH nationally it's going to happen to them anyway like they're going to get all that and so for me I I got to focus on the preparation of winning and how do we beat a team like Tennessee um it's going to be no different when we go play at Clemson you know I mean these are good opponents it's going to be a neutral site for Tennessee uh visiting game for us and we go to Clemson like those are good really good opponents and you know what are we going to do to win those games like we got to dig into those things and make that what we're the masters of and uh we're excited to play Tennessee in Charlotte uh coach hpel doeses a great job offensively they are Dynamic and fast and as you know they're talented so that's going to be a great matchup I'm excited to play them and and to be able to play them in Bank of America Stadium Charlotte's a really cool thing for the program I know it's going to be a lot of red there I know they're going to flood it and it's going to be fun to see uh coach we're jacked up for you can't wait to see this year uh big expectations man but I know you guys are ready and it's going to be fun to watch yeah well it's nice to have expectations for the program we're excited you know like I said we've earned it but we also know that we got to go out on the field and get the the thing going the right direction and it's it's a fun team to coach you know um it's really a motivated football team that has a lot of momentum behind them and they're excited about what's in front of them so thank you for your time it's always good to see you guys what's up guys as you can tell by the hats the shirts the logo we've got a new partner Underdog fantasy plus gramlick and McLane we are super excited they sent us a bunch of Swag they sent us a bunch of tennis balls kg Sam has loved the tennis balls I'm not sure what you've done with them maybe throwing them out Jacob doing his thing getting after it but we are so excited and uh just let me tell you a little bit about these guys the favorite thing that I like is number one you got fantasy drafts where a ton of people know how to do that check it out they have a really great thing there but then you can pick your favorite player higher lower and kg you've already got into this for kind of a season long deal can you tell the people a little insight on what you got there well I'm going to tell you about my most recent pick them entry but Underdog fantasy it's the easiest place to play fantasy sports it's also the fastest growing fantasy app in the industry I have it pulled up right here on my phone it's so easy to download we're going to give you a promo code in a second that you can use to start your journey here but my most recent one I did this before the start of the season and this is called my ACC uh let's go ACC pick right these are positive right here I've got Casey concepion higher than 800 a half receiving yards for the season Ronda gadston higher than 550 and a half for the season receiving yards and then Jaden not the Cal running back higher than 975 and a half rushing yards so if all three of those hit boom then I'm going to um be feeling good on Underdog fantasy so I'm so excited about this partnership Mac I think this is a unique way to get involved with the game and to play fantasy sports and like we said download that app check out it is the easiest place to play fantasy sports it really is very user friendly and again all season long we've been giving you picks for years we've been pretty good well now we finally get to put our money where our mouth is and you can join us okay and we want to give you uh kind of a reward if you sign up and use our code Gmod that's GM p o all caps there you have a special pick that you can claim and then for first- time deposit they will offer up to $250 in bonus cash so if you put in 250 they're going to put in 250 if you only put in 100 they'll put in 100 so we're giving you money guys you got to use our code sign in this is going to be an awesome thing all year long kg and I are gonna be bring in you our picks and if you look historically you might want to listen to Kelly she's a little bit better at the pics and I do but we'll see we'll see who makes the most money at the end of this thing kg I'm jacked up for it it's gonna be a lot of fun cannot wait our code GM p o Gmod sign up now we'll put some links on social media and below in the description here on YouTube on Apple podcast join in on the fun today with Underdog fantasy thanks again to Dave Doran for joining us here on the podcast really is fun to talk with Coach I feel like I don't know we've had him on a lot but I feel like every time he gets a little more you know open with us and I know you and him have developed a really good relationship it's it's great we I enjoy talking we just need an invite to go fishing like Jordan Waters got that's what we need I loved that story that was really cool and and just a Cool vibe right like to have a guy like Jordan Waters who's of course one of these big transfers foren state that we're going to talk about but to have these older guys like you can tell Dave Doran really enjoys having these older guys that are just there to play football and you know not get in trouble and maybe go fish like that he really likes that but of course he also likes having conceps on who's young but pretty amazing so let's get into this team Mac last year NC State goes N9 and four six and in the ACC they lose to K State in the bowl game uh they have a really good year considering their quarterback situation last season oh yeah when you look at their quarterback situation and all the drama and all that went down they had no business winning nine games like absolutely no business so that is an absolute credit to their culture and to coach Dorne and everything but this year ma as you alluded to in our intro this roster is loaded I it's one of the most talented in the ACC I still think Miami has the most talented top to bottom roster in the ACC but NC State is very close Grayson McCall comes in you think that's going to be pretty seamless Mac I think I'm just a little scarred from the Brennan Armstrong experience but I do think it will go better but they've got they've got guys everywhere on this NC State roster yeah they they really do and you know just to address the QB thing and I get that but I I think that was you know unfortunately more of a Brennan start uh you know and and we saw what what he was at Virginia his last year and a lot of that not on him a lot of drop passes and and things of that nature Grayson to me uh coming from Coastal Carolina where he was he has been the player of the year three straight years they've won the championship probably every year uh He Got Game Day to come to Coastal Carolina uh 10,000 plus passing yards 88 plus touchdowns he he's just a dude and he's a proven commodity year after year after year kg it's not like there's just this one you know kind of off-put outlier of a statistical season for me so that's kind of the thing you know he's just cons consistent stuttering bad here tonight guys sorry I'm trying I'm trying to get through it uh as it gets and and to me uh the the thing for him here in this situation is just go play point guard like you don't have to be you know the Michael Jordan 50 40 points scoring a night you just got to get the ball out you just got to be Magic Johnson you know throwing the ball all around or Chris Paul kind of a North North Carolina guy I know he's way Force but uh you know where you're just a distributor getting it to your Playmakers and quite frankly I think he's going to be really excited and really successful in that role and I I think he can run it a little bit better than people realize or remember uh just because this last year with the injury the things that he had going on there so he probably didn't run it a ton uh I think if he can hurt people with his legs just in moderation just when you you're not looking like you go two man Drop everybody or everybody's in coverage say wh here he goes you know skates off for you know 20 30 yard gain that's where I think this offense will be at its Pinnacle well and Ma you bring me to the big question I think a lot of people have about NC State and by the way this is for NC State people the reference you're looking for ma is can he be a Raina Perez he just get come on the hand of people who need it and win an ACC Championship NC State women's basketball fans will get that but I think you bring up the the big question the big point with NC State and Doran even alluded to it can they run the ball better better I mean that that has been the thing that has held NC State back arguably they've had some really good years but maybe held them back from that 10th win or or Beyond yeah can they run the ball better that is my question ma what say you on that well I I think when you look at the roster additions you have to think yes uh you know just because Jordan Waters again yeah he's a that's what a lot of these guys are that came into NC State it's proven Commodities like I know what I'm getting from Jordan I mean he he's an absolute freak and then you have kind of you know a spell back in Hollywood Smothers that that is coming back home from Oklahoma so you have a nice one-two punch there but you know I think it's just one of those things when you look at the offensive line the guys they have coming back the addition of Zeke Carell uh you like it you feel really good about it and what they're going to be able to do and on top of having a quarterback that can run the football as well so I think you just commit to it I I think that you you know you bow your back up and say hey we trust this guy he can make something out of nothing for sure uh we had to see that against a bunch of teams with Duke last year and what Jordan was able to do keep them and win them you know a bunch of games so to me I I think yes and it is weird though too kg that for whatever reason the great backs that they've had the year that they had two they still could not run the ball effectively we've got to see that change this year and and I think we will I think we will yeah you do and I would also we saw this a bit last year too like let's use concepion in whatever way you can right run him you know Jet Sweep whatever it takes he's special Ma and he's the kind of guy when you look at the teams that can win a league and go on a Playoff most of the time they have at least one of those guys probably on both sides of the ball but a guy like Concepts you on that is just you have to you have to almost build your Scouting Report around him like you have to always know where he is not every team has one of those dudes and St does withs yeah where's 10 okay you know when he lines up we we got to know where to go uh with the football where we think the football's going but but the great thing about it uh you know in particular this season is they brought in other guys you know Noah Rogers former five star comes back home from Ohio State uh you know he was a guy that just you know was was stuck in the depth chart rut and red shirted last year because Ohio state had you know 10 other first round draft pick wide receivers that were going to play in front of him look at the spring game I mean no Rogers is that guy I mean he's going to immediately step up and show out and do some big things you you look at Joe Lee that came in The Talented tight end kind of hybrid wide receiver that that is a mismatch problem uh he's going to be able to come in and add some real depth Wesley Grim or not death playmaker ability Wesley Grimes from Wake Forest I love I love that he's here in this offense and the things that he's going to be able to do of course on top of some other guys that are there have been waiting they turn and maybe in healthier and ready to go but all of that all of those guys additionally kg should allow KC to flourish even more because you can't just double them and if you do there better be other guys screaming you know wide open that were able to to to find and if you go cover two and have a two- safety look and and try to have you know cloud coverage over the top we better be able to run the football and so you know I think that all these additions are just going to help KC even more not even just on the field with things but the Eternal pressure is well like for him last year I'm sure there was it's stacked up where he's like I've got to do everything and I'm sure it was fun I'm sure he liked it he didn't show it though yeah to handle it the way he did as a freshman well in the sophomore slump that's where you expect to see it if it happens two years in a row but because of all this I I don't think we will and I think we'll see him even be a better wide receiver for them yeah for sure I mean NC State was without a doubt one of the winners of the portal in the ACC when you look at NC State Miami Florida State uh Virginia Tech Louisville of course went out and and got a bunch of players from the portal Ma I think the you know when we talk about the defense in NC State we always know there's a baseline of what the defense is going to be with Tony Gibson as the DC this defense though losing pyton Wilson of course and they did have 17 picks last year as a defense I mean they forced turnovers I don't think your defense needs to be what it was last year if this offense can be what we think it is M you're not going to be as relying on your defense making crazy plays having a pick six like pton Wilson did so many times you're not going to be as reliant on that but I still think this defense is going to be solid and and to me that's what you need that that's really all you need I they could be better than that we'll see but they are losing a lot I just I think this offense will be good enough yeah I think so too and and you know obviously we have van as you know kind of at the defensive end position he's wearing number one we know how important and and You Know instrumental that is he's the alpha you know I look straight at uh you know Grayson and asked him you know who's the guy defensively and without a beat you know he hits me with van and the things that you know davin's going to be able to bring to the table from from a instrument you know kind of standpoint uh and I think even coach Thunder has said you know his blood's in the bricks like this dude's been here done that and is uh just one of the guys that bricks you been there a lot of your work really really hard one of the two one of the two maybe a combination of both uh so I I think you have that up front you know kind of solidifying that some other guys that are going to step up and do their thing but but the biggest thing is going to be how does Kaden forom step up to replace Peyton Wilson and that's hard right one of the best defensive if not the best defensive player ever to play in that uniform and to represent NC State some big shoes to fill but he's been waiting his turn he's a red shirt Jr uh he's been around you know he he's a guy that has been there done that and now it's his turn I'm excited to see this defensive backfield I think that boyin is a stud I think that Aiden white Jihad Carter uh who was an allame American at at Syracuse and transferred to Ohio State now back in the ACC there's some guys so this this defense might look a little different uh where they specialize or where they are so good but I think it's it's going to be a little bit of status quo and this should easily be another top five defense for NC State ma when I look at the schedule if I'm an NC State fan I look at the schedule and I get like the hard eyes emojis just coming out of my eyes right because as I mentioned earlier of the top teams in the ACC you only get Clemson like that's it and you do have tenness early you get them early you get them you know in September exactly I mean the September is is interesting right you start with Western you have Tennessee lwtech and then Clemson you have Tennesse and Clemson in the first month that I I get it but after that let's say you go one and one in those games you know even just one and one after that Ma you should be favored in every game maybe at North Carolina we'll see see how UNCC is right but you should be favored like this is going to be a situation where has NC State can they take that next step where they don't lose kind of the game they're not supposed to right and don't lose to let's say you go to Cal or something and and mess up all the way out there Georgia Tech House of whes but they should be favored in all these Mac like this schedule is nice yeah so it's eight and a half where where you where are you you're going over you like the over there I don't see how you can't I don't see how you don't I I think nine and three yeah this schedule and this team they went 9 and three last year Mack without a quarterback right right I mean they had a bunch but you know they either quit or like whatever like they didn't have qub had to come back from the dead reborn as a new guy the dead five game qu I will say Brennan did not qu never quit yeah uh let me be super real with you here these guys better Sleepwalk to 10 wins for the second time in school history I mean huge you've got to do it this is the Year this is the year of the wolf pack look at everything else Inc sat has done athletically and you maybe you can argue you started it with nine wins that's great but we got to put a big old exclamation point on this thing and quite frankly we need to go play Tennessee and kick their butt you know because that's going to be a team that's young that has a new starting quarterback and that defense has to Feast okay you've got to take advantage of that the offense is experience you're at a neutral sight come on NC State it's time it's time to take that next step to be serious and I I think that you have the pieces to do it I do I feel really good about this team I feel really good about him too I I feel really good I I honestly am not expecting them to beat both Tennessee and Clemson I think if you can go one and one in those games then you're golden yeah because honestly now if if you want to win the ACC and make the playoff you got to win but to get a 10- win season if you go one and one in those games and then you maybe slip up once like you're still 10 and two and you still maybe have a chance to play up I don't know yeah so this schedule if NC state does not get 10 wins this year kg I I just I don't even know I don't even know I will come I'll be depressed I will be depressed because it's just you'll never do it if you don't do this year you'll never do it again I mean the you talk about the stars aligning for this to happen you better do it you better I think they will anyway let's go come on do it for Mac please because I don't want to be depressed please I want to be happy happy happy happy uh anyway appreciate you guys such a great episode thank you Annabelle for for making this happen and Coach Dave Dorne always uh grateful for his time and I think he's with me I think that he thinks the same way that I we're gonna make this happen I know all these he will be depressed if they don't want to yeah I'm sure he will I will too we'll be right there together uh but anyway appreciate all you guys tuning in pack fans tell me tell me if I need to cool out chill out relax but I'm all in with the pack baby we're going this is the time to to make it happen so appreciate yall always tuning in subscribe to the channel jump in the comments and of course the OG's over on Apple podcast as well rate review subscribe there we would greatly appreciate that but until next time we'll see y'all he [Music]