New NC State football assistants share vision for program, aiming to build on past success
N.C. State’s roster isn’t the only thing getting a shakeup this offseason. Several new members of the coaching staff made their debuts this week at a news conference where they shared their visions for the program. The biggest message was an appreciation for the foundation already in place and a desire to build upon that.
DJ Eliot (defensive coordinator), Kurt Roper (offensive coordinator), Charlton Warren (co-defensive coordinator/safeties/nickelbacks), Gavin Locklear (tight ends) and Elisha Shaw (co-defensive line) made their first appearances to the media since they were hired or promoted.
Roper replaces Robert Anae, who spent two seasons as offensive coordinator and remains the quarterbacks coach. He’s been with the program since 2019. He is joined by new tight ends coach Gavin Locklear, a former N.C. State walk-on and offensive quality control coach.
The Wolfpack knows it fell short of its goals in 2024, with both the offense and defense struggling to find consistency.
Roper looks forward to leading the scoring efforts, and he’s got a pretty simple philosophy: Find explosive players and put them in positive situations.
“I think what you’re going to see is, first and foremost, we’re going to try to put guys on the football field that are explosive with the football,” Roper said. “I think those are the guys that score the points for you. We’ve got to try to put them into good situations. We have to give them enough weapons, enough tools in their tool belts, per se, to get themselves open or to have good angles in the run game. Schematically, we’ve got to have the mindset to go out there and put our best players on the field with the ability to score, so you’ve got to figure out who those guys are.”
It sounds easy, but the Wolfpack has not been known for its offensive weaponry.
The Pack struggled to score this fall, averaging 28.5 points per game. It ranked No. 62 in the nation and No. 9 in the ACC. N.C. State scored on 85.2% of its trips to the red zone, which tied Arkansas and Florida State at No. 60 in the nation.
In the two previous seasons, the Pack finished with 26.1 points per game and 24.3 points per game. N.C. State has averaged at least 30 points in six seasons under Dave Doeren, but it has never finished with an average above 35 points nor has it finished in the Top 25 for scoring.
Roper said a major factor to the team’s scoring success will be emphasizing a high-tempo offense. In previous seasons, it has been one of the slower teams. The new OC plans to make that a priority in the offseason.
“I think it’s easier to teach them to go fast and then slow them down, rather than go slow then speed them up,” Roper said. “I think we’ve got to ingrain in our guys how to go fast. If you want to go fast, you have to be able to get lined up quickly. If you get lined up quickly, you’ve got the chance to control tempo.”
The Wolfpack’s overall stability under Doeren came from the defense, primarily under Tony Gibson. N.C. State ranked in the Top 25 for scoring defense from 2021-23.
Eliot, alongside Warren and Shaw, looks to continue Gibson’s success and improve on what he started.
“Tony did a tremendous job here and played some good defense,” Eliot said. “We’re not looking past that. We’re looking to build off of some of the things that were done here.”
Gibson primarily used a 3-3-5 defensive scheme, though he wasn’t afraid to blitz, while Eliot hopes to mix things up a little bit more. Eliot said the scheme will use three-man fronts, but it’ll also use a lot of four-man front rotations that can trick opposing offenses.
“We’re building from the defense that they have been playing, but we’re going to change a few things,” Eliot said. “We’re going to disguise a few things, and we’re going to pressure a little differently.”
Eliot also doesn’t want to rely too heavily on a certain position group. The Wolfpack’s previous defenses often relied on linebacker play, which worked with guys like Drake Thomas and Payton Wilson. It didn’t have the same power at that position this season, and it struggled at times.
Instead, Eliot wants to develop a well-rounded defense that can rely on any position group, based on which team the Pack is playing. He wants the defensive line to be hard-nosed and tough to take on elite rushers, one thing it didn’t do consistently last year. The corners need to be explosive to stop talented wideouts, he said. Then, the linebackers should be solid in the middle.
“I think it depends on the week where the stress is going to be for each position,” Eliot said. “That’s why in the NFL — and in college, too — you really can’t tell who’s going to win week to week based on the past record, because the matchups matter so much.”
The trio thinks N.C. State’s defense can get back to its high-caliber performance in every phase.
“I think it’s exciting for recruits. I think it’s exciting for the Wolfpack nation, for everyone,” Shaw said. “We’re going to see some really good football. I’m excited for DJ. I’m excited that I’m next to DJ, helping him be able to paint this picture for this university and our fans.”
