Six weeks after being named head football coach, traveling from state to state, and racking up faxes and cell phone minutes, Dave Doeren welcomed his first recruiting class to campus yesterday. Doeren’s class includes 12 All-State performers, nine players from North Carolina, nine from Florida, six wide receivers and three transfers, along with a few leftovers from former head coach Tom O’Brien’s class.
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett, a transfer from Florida, highlights the class. Last season, Brissett completed 23 of 35 passes for 249 yards and a touchdown. He also started in its 23-0 victory against Jacksonville State. He completed 14 of 22 attempts for 154 yards in the contest. Brissett, who will redshirt the 2013 season due to NCAA regulations, will have two years of eligibility left after the 2013 season.
According to Doeren, Brissett attracted many of the other recruits from Florida to commit to N.C. State.
Doeren said having a large group of receivers would be essential to running his offense, which emphasizes empty sets and jet stream routes.
“There were only six receivers returning on the depth chart, two running backs and two quarterbacks,” Doeren said. “Those are three position groups that we thought we needed to answer in this class and we were able to do that not only with high school players, but with transfers.”
He also said Des Kitchings, the Wolfpack’s running back’s coach, played a substantial role in O’Brien’s recruits honoring their commitment to State.
“In a transitional mode like we were, it was all hands on deck,” Doeren said. “In between, Des Kitchings really tied this thing together from the old staff and the recruiting to all the new guys that we brought in.”
“Being a link [to O’Brien’s coaching staff], obviously I have a strong passion for N.C. State University and State football so that’s a drive in itself,” Kitchings said. “A lot of these young men that have committed to us prior [to the coaching change] all have the same passion for this University.”
The class also includes three running backs, Matt Dayes from Weston, Fla., Josh Mercer from Guyton, Ga. and Dakwa Nichols from Rockingham. Kitchings said one of these backs will immediately be implemented into the game plan along with the current backs on the roster, including freshman Shadrach Thornton and redshirt sophomore Tony Creecy.
“The simple fact that we only have two guys on scholarship, some combination of one, maybe two, of those freshmen will be involved in opening week,” Kitchings said. “But who is that, I don’t know until they get on campus.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Doeren welcomed two national top-60 defensive backs in Joshua Jones and Jack Tocho. Defensive tackle Kenton Gibbs is ranked No. 42 in the country and No. 15 in his home state of Michigan.
Doeren said the two linebackers in the class, Jerod Fernandez and Quinton Patterson, should expect to play early because of the lack of depth at the position.
The class of 25 commits is ranked No. 8 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, according to rivals.com. Nineteen of the commits are three-stars, according to Rivals.
“We want to take three-star players that we get and make them five-stars in four or five years,” Doeren said. “We want those guys to be better than the other guys that signed at other schools.”
