How NC State football is a refuge in the storm for Coastal Carolina, and other Wolfpack notes

N.C. State football is hosting unexpected but familiar visitors this week due to Tropical Storm Debby.

The Wolfpack welcomed Coastal Carolina to Raleigh as the South Carolina coast faces the storm’s impacts. N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren said Tim Beck, Chanticleers head coach and Doeren’s former offensive coordinator, requested to use Close-King Indoor Practice Facility.

“We feel for the folks. They’re going through it with this hurricane,” Doeren said on Wednesday. “Tim called and asked if they could use our indoor (field). Obviously, yes, if it’s outside of our practice times. We’re happy to help them and hopeful that it won’t last too long and create too much damage in their town.”

Beck served as N.C. State’s offensive coordinator from 2020-22. He guided Coastal to an 8-5 finish in 2023, his first season as head coach. Emeka Emezie, who played for five seasons with the Wolfpack, works as a graduate assistant with the Chants. With the Pack, the wide receiver had 2,895 receiving yards on 229 receptions — a program record — and 19 touchdowns.

Wolfpack quarterback Grayson McCall transferred from CCU to N.C. State in the offseason.

Debby is expected to bring up to 30 inches of rain to the South Carolina coast, including Myrtle Beach, which is 10 miles from Coastal Carolina’s campus.

The Chanticleers are no strangers to tropical storms. Coastal practiced in Greenville, South Carolina, when Hurricane Dorian hit the state in 2019. It bounced around in 2018 when Hurricane Florence flooded the area and closed campus.

The tropical storm brought heavy rain to Raleigh on Tuesday, which the Wolfpack practiced through. Doeren said the weather changes during fall camp have provided important training.

“We got a good test yesterday with the downpour right in the middle of practice and stayed outside and didn’t turn the ball over one time. Didn’t have a bad snap one time,” Doeren said on Wednesday. “It was pouring. You could barely see the film. Sometimes teams will complain like, ‘Hey, there’s an indoor (field) over there. Let’s go use the indoor.’ Nobody said a word and just kept playing. That was great. It was a test.”

The team played in high humidity on Wednesday and experienced high heat during the first days of camp.

“We’re getting that Mother Nature’s touch right now and seeing who’s got a little bit in their tank.”

Can Rogers be hometown hero?

In just one season with the Wolfpack, DJ Horne etched his name in the N.C. State basketball record books. Horne, originally from Raleigh, returned home for one last season and led the program to an unlikely ACC Championship and Final Four appearance.

Wide receiver Noah Rogers hopes to do something similar for the football team.

Why NC State’s 2023-24 college sports season was among the best in NCAA history

Rogers grew up in Raleigh and was heavily recruited by N.C. State in high school. He started his career at Ohio State before the Pack lured him back home.

Now, Rogers is drawing inspiration from Horne, hoping to provide similar success on the gridiron.

“I have a lot of respect for him, because we’re from the same city and we’re doing a lot of great culture things for the university,” Rogers said Wednesday. “To see what he did for his team is very special. He says something very smart, ‘Why not us?’ I believe, ‘Why not football?’ Can’t we do the same thing and be successful?”

Offensive coordinator Robert Anae said Tuesday that Rogers is still proving himself every day in practice, but the newcomer gives N.C. State the “X factor.”

Recruiting older players

Doeren takes pride in developing players and enjoys seeing guys persevere at one program, but he’s embraced the balance of recruiting veteran transfers.

He and defensive coordinator Tony Gibson spoke about transfer safety DK Kaufman’s consistency, command of the football and leadership. Doeren said much of that comes through experience.

“He’s been through like five position coaches in his career,” Doeren said. “He’s had to learn a new language almost every year, so it’s easy for him to adjust.”

Kaufman played at Vanderbilt in 2020 before spending three years at Auburn.

“That’s the one thing as a coach you can’t do. You can’t make a player more experienced. That’s the value of bringing an older player in,” Doeren said. “Even though you may have a talented young guy, he won’t have the game reps and the learning from success and failure. They’re also at the end of their time, so that urgency to be good is different.”