Fall camp moves by so fast that even a scrimmage a few days ago feels like history.
That is how NC State coach Dave Doeren is feeling in addressing the media Wednesday. Doeren talked about a few key developments that have happened of late, including how the second-string quarterback battle is taking shape between Rivals.com four-star freshman MJ Morris and Charleston Southern quarterback Jack Chambers.
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“That feels like a long time ago now,” Doeren half-joked. “It was great to be in the stadium and see how people get bigger or smaller on that stage. The guys you expect to play well do, so that wasn’t a surprise.
“I am excited that Jack and MJ are progressing the way they are. We are splitting reps with those guys at the twos. Both of them are improving and both are making mistakes.”
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Julian Gray was one of the standouts in the scrimmage Saturday, and sophomore defensive end Davin Vann continues to earn praise.
“Defensively, we definitely tackled well for our first day, bringing people to the ground,” Doeren said. “That is always a concern. We stayed healthy, which is a huge part of the scrimmage, and maybe the most important part of a scrimmage. We were able to do a bunch of good special teams work.”
Vann could be poised for a terrific sophomore year. The former Rivals.com four-star prospect earned three starts and played in 12 games last year. He finished with 26 tackles, four sacks and nine quarterback hurries. Doeren thought he was playing “much faster.”
“He’s probably been most consistent playmaker in the front from a fall camp standpoint,” Doeren said. “He really worked hard this offseason. He went to work with [strength and conditioning coach] Thunder [Burnette] and in the film room.”
Doeren was happy to see some of the players play again who suffered season-ending injuries a year ago. He finally could watch the linebacker trio Drake Thomas, Payton Wilson and Isaiah Moore all play together once again.
Baseball has a pitch count with starting pitchers. Doeren and the coaches are cognizant of the reps some of the older players get. The key is to keep Wilson healthy for 13 games, so keeping him fresh in August could help in that regard for instance.
“Some guys have 2,000 game reps, so they aren’t going to take every rep in practice,” Doeren said. “They are limited because we are doing that, not because of their health.”
Doeren added that the young backup linebackers are starting to emerge with the extra reps, but redshirt freshman Caden Fordham has been dinged up. The linebackers could go eight-deep this season capable players.
“Jordan Poole are doing really well,” Doeren said. “Him and Jayland Parker are probably the most improved guys in the linebacker core because they have gotten so many reps. Caden should be back out there, but he’s been limited.”
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