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It was a meeting nobody wants to be part of; the kind of gathering that brings out tears, even in the toughest of people.
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Former N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren met with the team this weekend after the university fired him. His nearly 14-year run with the Wolfpack is over.
Quarterback CJ Bailey remembers the emotional locker room environment — for Doeren, the players and the assistants.
“He was definitely emotional about leaving,” Bailey said on Monday during a press conference. “He’s been here for 14 years. Who wouldn’t be emotional? We love this place, and he’s been here for that long. A lot of emotions (came) out, especially with the team.”
Interim head coach Todd Goebbel is happy, if one can be happy in this situation, Doeren had the opportunity to address the entire team.
“That’s a man that’s poured his blood, sweat and tears into the bricks of N.C. State,” Goebbel said. “These players genuinely love him. They respect him, and I think it was done eloquently, and it was done very respectfully. I’m glad he was able to speak to the team.”
Bailey was one of the first players to hear the news. Doeren called him, Bailey said, and they discussed the situation. The junior quarterback feels like both handled the conversation well.
Doeren was unable to call every player directly, but he called a handful of others — primarily team captains and members of the leadership council. Defensive lineman Isaiah Shirley was among the group to hear the update directly.
Shirley joined the program in 2023 and went from a backup to a consistent starter.
The senior admitted the news filled him with multiple emotions, the first being sadness. He’s grateful, however, to learn the news from Doeren himself, not another source.
Duke Scott, meanwhile, wanted to keep most of their conversations personal. Still, he shared a public message of support.
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“I want to say I’m thankful for Coach Doeren and everything he’s done for us in this program,” Scott said. “I just wish him the best in everything he has going on. There’s nothing but good things I can say about him. I appreciate the opportunity that he’s given me to be here and a lot of love for Coach.”
The decision shocked the players. They know coaching changes can happen, but they didn’t expect it during the season.
“It was unbelievable to me. I really was not thinking of it like that,” Bailey said. “But once it settled in, it was like, ‘What’s the next good thing to do? What’s the next positive thing I can do for my guys and the team?’”
Part of the transition process, Shirley said, has included conversations among players about accountability. Could a better performance have prevented this? What could they have done differently?
“This is a game where you take accountability for what you did and what you did not do,” Shirley said. “There (have been) private talks amongst the team that, quite frankly, everybody doesn’t even know about. We’ve done that, and we’ve owned our part of it.
“It’s time to move on. We’ve got more games to play and more life to live.”
How does the team move forward? Trying to win the games it has left. That was Doeren’s message to the team: Do its best to finish strong and do it for him. That’s what this program was built on, and the players believe in the remaining leadership.
It hosts Cal on Saturday, followed by Duke and Syracuse. Then it travels to Florida State and North Carolina to end the season. Three wins would make a Doeren-coached, or partially coached, team bowl eligible for a 12th time.
Miami transfer Popo Aguirre said it was a rough day, losing his head coach and defensive coordinator. Both recruited him to N.C. State and played a major role in his transition to Raleigh. But, the team has already been through a lot and hasn’t flinched. This is merely another challenge.
“We’re gonna give it a push, man,” Aguirre said. “We’re gonna we’re gonna keep going no matter what, no matter who’s there.”
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