Dave Doeren Calls for Major Changes Across College Football
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RALEIGH — Over the last week, NC State took time to recover after a grueling 7-5 regular season. The Wolfpack dealt with numerous injuries and off-field adversity, but ultimately finished with three wins in November, earning a trip to the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa on Dec. 19.
However, the college football calendar has become a hot-button issue, with coaches leaving teams before they play in their bowl games in order to get ahead on recruiting. There's also only one transfer portal window now, so players are already speaking with agents and potentially being tampered with by other programs before the season is over.
Not done yet! The Pack is heading to the @GasparillaBowl.
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NC State head coach Dave Doeren has been outspoken about his own issues with the calendar and the placement of the transfer window throughout the year. Now, those days are here and Doeren once again took the opportunity to opine on the sweeping changes he believes are needed for the sport to grow in a positive way.
Watch Doeren's availability
What changes does Doeren want?
The Wolfpack finds itself in a unique position, as the Gasparilla Bowl is earlier in the bowl season than many of the other bowl options. Doeren explained that there have been years where the Pack played in bowl games on Dec. 31 and then returned to school on Jan. 2. The early date for the matchup against Memphis has its pros and cons.
"I think there is some advantage to that, probably at the same time our guys are gone sooner," Doeren said. "I like being around them this time of year, with all the stuff going on in college football, the different forces pulling on them at every turn it seems like. Not being with them, it makes me nervous."
The bowl system experienced some turmoil over the last week, as many players and several teams, most notably Notre Dame, chose to opt out of participation in bowl games. Doeren isn't wired that way, with a strong belief in finishing what you start in place. However, he explained the root of the problem, in his opinion.
"I hate that (in) football, it's now acceptable for players to do it and now teams are doing it," Doeren said. "There needs to be a lot of work on this calendar up top in a leadership role. I've said it before... The calendar needs to slide to the left in football. We need to start earlier and finish earlier and build in a window where coaches can't be talked to so they finish their jobs."
Doeren dealt with coaching staff changes during bowl season multiple times over the last few seasons, most recently with defensive coordinator Tony Gibson bolting to become the head coach at Marshall before the Military Bowl. Obviously, it's a complicated problem that doesn't appear to be getting any closer to being solved.
Constant uncertainty from the sport's leadership bodies makes it impossible to get things done. Even so, the Wolfpack head coach desires change to get football back to what he believes in.
"When the calendar is not made for a guy to be able to finish, that's the way it is and I think we can build a calendar that makes this a finisher sport," Doeren said. "That takes leadership and we need the people up top to look at this thing, because it's broken bad. When you look at the conclusion of seasons like, how can a game not be meaningful? Every game matters to me."
The calendar is one problem, but the financial system in place for college football is another obstacle entirely. Changes to the NIL guidelines and the addition of the revenue-sharing system looked to be creating some clarity, but the season unfolded differently. Doeren chose to go with the flow, but has accepted that there won't be any similarities from one year to the next anymore.
"It certainly seems like loopholes have won the day and I don't know what's real or what isn't real anymore," Doeren said. "When it comes to this, and how this money's supposedly going to be approved through NIL Go and $600 or less, and the teams are going to have $30 million rosters on a cap. That's less than that, right?... It's, it's a mess right now, so you've just got to do the best you can."
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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