NC State football head coach Dave Doeren has always been passionate about Senior Day, dating back to his own as a player at Drake.

In a year where nothing is normal, Senior Day 2020 is, Doeren noted, “kind of unique.”

The Wolfpack is listing 12 seniors that will be honored at Saturday’s regular-season finale, a 4 p.m. kickoff against Georgia Tech on the ACC Network.

That group does not include a pair of fifth-year seniors in receiver C.J. Riley and tight end Dylan Parham. The two were granted sixth seasons of eligibility before the year began, indicating a desire on their part to potentially come back for another season even before the NCAA froze eligibility for fall and winter sports.

Tight end Dylan Autenrieth also had been given a sixth year, but he is still listed in the game notes package with the other 11 seniors. Each could theoretically return if they choose to do so.

“In some cases, we do know they’re not coming back, and some we don’t,” Doeren clarified. “We’ll have to wait and see on some of the guys.”

Doeren used the case of former starting cornerback Chris Ingram, who was hurt halfway through last season and missed this year, as someone who may come back. Ultimately, that final decision on returning could be treated almost like someone who is deciding whether or not to leave early for the NFL.

“You just got to be honest with them,” Doeren said. “In any of these situations where a guy has that decision to make, I always start with, 'Do you think you can get better by coming back, or do you think that you're as good as you're going to be in college?'

“There's examples of that. [Quarterback] Ryan Finley and [defensive end] Bradley Chubb both came back because there were things they felt like they could get better at and improve themselves from the NFL standpoint, and they did.

"[Running back] Nyheim Hines is a guy who said, 'Coach, I can run a 4.3 today, and I'll run a 4.3 next year. I'm not going to get taller, I'm not going to get heavier, I just had 1,000 yards.' So in his case, it made sense.

“I think that's how I have to look at these seniors. Where are they at in the education part? Can they graduate? Can they earn a second degree? Are they a developmental-type player that maybe needs another year in the weight room to improve their stock and give themselves the best opportunity to make it in the NFL?

“It's not about me. It's not about trying to make next year's team better. It's about making sure they're very at peace with their decision, because the last thing I want to do is talk a guy into something that he's not all in on. If they're coming back, they're coming back because it's what they want in their heart.”

The NCAA is allowing scholarship exceptions for next year beyond the traditional maximum of 85 for a team.

“The way it’s been explained to me is, if there’s someone that was exhausting their eligibility that’s graduated and they choose to come back, it doesn’t count [against scholarship limits],” Doeren said. “It’s just a plus-one.”

In terms of specific names among the seniors who were listed among the 12 — a group that includes Autenrieth, Ingram, receiver Emeka Emezie, defensive linemen Daniel Joseph and Val Martin, and offensive linemen Tyrone Riley, Joe Sculthorpe and Justin Witt — Doeren was not prepared to say who from that group might be back and who is likely leaving.

“We're not there yet,” the coach said. “We're just talking about it right now. We want to finish the season and let them get away from it a little bit and probably decompress before they make any decisions.

“There's been conversations, but I've told them to focus on the season right now and that we would get to it when the thing is over.”

• Another player who is in the process of making decisions about his future is redshirt sophomore cornerback Malik Dunlap. After strong performances as a reserve in the first two games of the season, Dunlap was elevated to a starting role for five straight contests. However, Dunlap began to struggle in the back half of that stretch and was benched to a reserve role in wins over Florida State and Liberty.

At Syracuse, Dunlap did not play for the first time this season, and on Monday he was not listed on the two-deep depth chart.

“He's trying to make some decisions about what he wants to do next, so we're allowing him the opportunity to do that,” Doeren said. “We're planning like he will not be here.”

• The Wolfpack will host a Georgia Tech squad that is coming off a 56-33 home win over Duke on Saturday, its first game in five weeks due to various factors including COVID-19. The Yellow Jackets are 3-5 overall and 3-4 in the ACC.

Last season, the Jackets defeated NC State 28-26 in Atlanta after the Pack failed to convert a late two-point conversion to potentially tie the game.

Doeren noted that the Jackets have a lot of talent at the skill positions on offense and some similarities to Liberty.

“It's not the exact same system, but formations are similar,” he said. “Some of their run game is similar. I think that's a good comparison.”

• NC State knows it is going to a bowl game if they are to be played, and if the projections are correct that could be the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte on Dec. 30 or perhaps one of the two bowl games in Florida — the Cheez-It Bowl in Orlando on Dec. 29 or the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville on Jan. 2.

Doeren noted there is some unusual planning and strategy involved in preparing for bowl games this year since the announcements will not be made until Dec. 20.

“It's very difficult to find out on the 20th that you're playing on the 26th,” Doeren said. “It could be a challenging situation, but everything this year has been challenging. You just have to do the best you can. It doesn't sound like the bowls are going to be five-day experiences anyway, so you're going to be doing a lot of your prep here.

“Whoever from our league plays in the game on the 26th is going to have a short turnaround, and so will their opponent. That's just how that's going to be. I think the games that are the following week, in Florida and Charlotte, give you a more normal opportunity to prepare how you would in a typical bowl game.”

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