NC State coach Dave Doeren will wait until the various proposals are passed to fully invest in some of the changes the NCAA has suggested.
The final votes on what the Division I Football Oversight Committee has proposed will occur in April, but Doeren is hopeful about the addition of a 10th full-time assistant coach in FBS.
“Right now, they are just conversations,” Doeren said. “They aren’t real rules yet. I’m in favor of a 10th coach if that is the direction they go. That would be tied into staff-size limitations, which can help some of us. Those that have 17 quality control coaches will have to make some changes.”
Other pertinent changes would be to have three different signing periods — the last Wednesday in June, mid-December and early February. Football programs also would have 10 days allowed for satellite camps, which would be down from 30.
“I think that [late June] is too early personally,” Doeren said of the early signing period. “I would love to see it Sept. 1 of their senior year. They’d have the summer to do what they have been doing. There are a lot of unofficial visits that happen over that junior summer.”
The proposals didn’t mention anything about official visits being allowed prior to signing in late June, but that might have to take place down the road.
“That will change our calendar [in May], which I don’t think any of our coaches would be in favor of,” Doeren said. “Especially if we are on the road in May, unless they change that into a contact period for us. We’d have to see how it all plays out.”
One by-product of players having a chance to sign in late June is that prospects will know where they stand with a college. They’ll either have an offer, the offer was reneged or the position group was already filled by another player. The flip side is schools might take players in June that might not develop on and off the field during their senior year, and that creates another conundrum for both the player and football program.
“I think the early offer thing has a lot of limitations,” Doeren said. “You really don’t get the chance to know somebody that early in the process. For these guys who grow up wanting to come to NC State, and their parents went to State, and they are really good players and commit early, it allows them to move on.”
Doeren will give more thought to the various changes in the future, but the present has been preparing for Notre Dame at noon on Saturday. He said the Wolfpack players have had a good week of practice.
“They’ve been focused and a lot of guys have been watching film and seeing extra things, and staying after working on different things in the game plan,” Doeren said. “They’ve been really attentive.”
Doeren has also been encouraged by the play and health of sophomore wide receiver and kick returner Nyheim Hines.
“Last week, he was getting there, but he has had a good week,” Doeren said. “This is the first time he has been able to practice every day and done everything we have wanted to do.”
Doeren knows that Notre Dame’s offense centers on the strong right arm of junior quarterback DeShone Kizer. The NFL Draft prospect has passed for 1,567 yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions, plus he has run for 187 yards and six scores this season.
“He has really good talent around him to start,” Doeren said. “They protect him well. He has an offensive system that is well run. They give him a lot of opportunities to throw the ball down field, and guys make plays for him.
“He is a very accurate deep ball thrower. He is tough and takes some shots, but puts the ball right on the money.”
The ACC and Notre Dame arrangement isn’t 100 percent ideal, but there is a certain buzz when the Fighting Irish are coming to town, even if they are 2-3.
“Any time you play a marquee opponent, it’s positive for your fan base and positive for season ticket holders,” Doeren said. “Our players like playing teams like that. It is a strange agreement in some ways. I think all of the coaches would love to see them be a full-time partner.”
