Dave Doeren's Most Intriguing Quotes of the Week

RALEIGH — After losing to Virginia Tech, NC State faced significant scrutiny from an increasing frustrated fan base. Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren was at the center of much of the ire of the Pack faithful, but vowed that his team will continue to fight in the season.

Doeren appeared for the media in three different capacities throughout the week, answering a number of questions about the state of the team, his confidence in the rest of the season and the noise the program is dealing with after the Virginia Tech loss.

Here are Doeren's Most Interesting Quotes from the Week

On responding to noise from fans about his leadership and the direction of the program - From Monday, Sep. 29

"Other than having to talk to you guys, I don't know that there's noise. I know that there is because that's what our world does right now, but I don't pay attention to any of that. My job is to be focused on what's going on inside these walls with these young men. Essentially, besides being a husband and a father, my job is to recruit. My job is not to listen to you or the media or anyone else about their opinion of our program. It's to do everything I can to help these guys win the next game. That's the same thing I'm telling them."

"You find out who your friends are. You guys all go through tough things, too. You'll find out who's loyal and who isn't during tough times. You've got to block the people out of your life that aren't that way. You don't need to read negative things. You don't need to pay attention to negative things. You control what you can and you surround yourself with people that want to do the same. My advice to anybody, not just our players, is to be in a circle of friends that promote your growth."

Aug 28, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren walks out during the warmups prior to the game against East Carolina Pirates at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

"You don't listen to things that people tell you that you don't ask for advice from. I'm sure they're not getting on social media asking for advice, so why pay attention to what people are saying? It's one thing to say you want us to win when we're winning and when we lose, to say you want us to leave. That's not loyalty. We're going to be loyal to the people that are loyal to us and that's these players, that's these coaches. We're going to fight together. We're going to fight hard. That's the message. These kids are going to do the same. They understand what it is. "

"That's college sports. It's pro sports, too. In Week 1, Alabama loses and everybody thought they were the worst team in college football. Now, they've gone on a run and everybody's got them in the top 10. I think it's a what have you done for me lately business and I understand we've lost two in a row, so that's how we're looked at. We've got to get back to doing things better."

On Charlton Warren's ability to step up during DJ Eliot's time away from the program - From Thursday, Oct. 2

Doeren: "He's experienced. He's done this multiple times. It wasn't like 'OK, how do I do this?' He knows exactly how to plan a practice. He knows how to talk to the assistant coaches from that chair. With the players, he knows what to demand.

"He's been like that since he got here for DJ. They've been able to divide and conquer in some ways, where (DJ's) with the front and he's with the back end. It's been very seamless and we're lucky to have a guy with that kind of experience on our staff for when something like this happens."

On the Virginia Tech loss and how the Hokies beat NC State - From Wednesday, Oct. 1

Doeren: "I told our team, this is a very proud program we're playing. And if you watch them in the South Carolina game and the Vanderbilt game, to their first two games, they played really well and had a chance to win both of those football games," Doeren said. "I don't know what happened going into Old Dominion, obviously they didn't show up and that wasn't indicative of that program and they've responded. And Philip Montgomery, like I said last week, he's a proven head coach, but I'll say it again, that's not about them, like that's us."

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