NC State fifth-year middle linebacker Isaiah Moore hopes to be a coach one day.
Moore isn’t sure the level, but he hopes he’ll have a lengthy NFL career first before making such decisions. Moore injured his knee in the Miami (Fla.) loss Oct. 23, and he turned into an assistant coach the rest of the season for the linebackers. He finished with 43 tackles, five tackles for loss, an interception and a sack in seven games played.
“It definitely humbled me tremendously,” said Moore about his ACL tear. “I put a lot into last season, and I put a lot of hopes and dreams into last season, and to have it taken away from me was tragic and humbling and emotional, really just to be frank.
“It definitely reignited a passion about how much I love the game and how much I really, really want this to be my life career.”
Moore also was an assistant coach through interning at Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons the last two years, helping the Crusaders win the NCHSAA 4A state title in a rain-soaked 14-2 victory over Charlotte (N.C.) Chambers at Carter-Finley Stadium.
“I’ve experienced high school and I’ve been around college coaching all my life,” Moore said. “Hopefully, when I get to the NFL, I’ll see how they operate there. I’ll make that decision after that.”
Personality temperament is usually the difference in coaching at various levels of football. Moore knows recruiting and NIL deals first-hand.
“Every situation has its pros and cons,” Moore said. “I just have to sit back when that time comes and analyze it. NIL will hopefully be more under control by that time when I’m doing playing. Hopefully, I won’t have to enter that stage of my career for another 15-20 years.”
Moore’s friend and teammate, fellow linebacker Drake Thomas, is excited about him coaching one day.
“He’s very knowledgeable and he has a special characteristic to him where he wants to give back,” Thomas said. “He wants to teach and help others. You don’t see that in everybody. He’ll be an amazing coach one day.”
The coach and player in Moore collides when it comes to watching film of the Wolfpack. He said he has watched every NC State game at least four times this offseason.
“I’ll watch from four or five different angles as well,” Moore said. “I did a really in-depth study of who we are as a team and how we can get better. I think it will make us better for it.”
The losses to Miami (Fla.) and Wake Forest led to them scoring a combined 76 points. UNC was only other opponent to score over 30 points, but the Wolfpack won 34-30.
“I think to an extent, some guys were a little passive in those games,” said Moore on the two losses. “I think we have to come in and take our shots. In big games, you have to take your shots.”
Doeren broke into coaching at Shawnee Mission (Kansas) High in 1994, and then moved on to college at his alma mater Drake from 1995-97. Doeren, who was a graduate assistant at USC in 1998-99, can now look back at when the Trojans were competing for Pac-10 titles rather than Big Ten titles. The one-two punch of Oklahoma and Texas joining the SEC, and now USC and UCLA going to the Big Ten has altered the college football landscape.
“I think it is going to change so much,” Doeren said. “For him, you have to be pure to who you are. In this profession, it beats you down and also can lift you up. You can get deflated and inflated pretty quickly in coaching. You just have to stay true to your values.”
NIL, which Moore is fluid with as a player, has alter created new wrinkles in college football that coaches didn’t have to deal with until last year.
“You have to know that things are going to change, that are out of your control,” Doeren said. “If you realize that you are a coach because you like helping young men and being a part of their journey, and being a servant, it’s good. It’s a really good profession. You have to remind yourself sometimes.”
Colleges have also beefed up recruiting staffs and being a head coach is more about being a quality CEO than ever before. Doeren simply said “you need a lot of people.” The days of the hand-written note and calling on the phone aren’t enough anymore.
“Now, it’s 24/7 on the phone communication with these guys, and you need the people to do it, otherwise, you’d never coach,” Doeren said. “Obviously, you still need to coach.”
Doeren said he makes sure his staff can get away for vacations and family time at certain points of the calendar. The entire staff will do a retreat prior to the state of fall camp.
"You have to give them the resources to delegate some things because they can't do it all," Doeren said. "Sometimes, you have to talk them off a cliff. It is a lot of bad stuff going on in my opinion.
"Work-life balance is important for your sustainability. We plan things out, six months in advance, so they know when their time off is. We try to give the guys enough time to be good fathers and husbands."
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