NC State football’s tight ends are having a big impact. Thanks go to this coach

Gavin Locklear keeps his old locker nameplate on the desk in his office as a reminder of everything he went through as a player.

The 2017 N.C. State graduate was promoted to tight ends coach in December after spending six years in various roles. It was part of several changes to the Wolfpack’s offensive staff and provided Locklear with his first full-time assistant coaching job.

Locklear grew up an N.C. State fan and joined the program as a walk-on 12 years ago. His younger brother, Ashton, also made the team as a walk-on in 2022 and his parents are season ticket holders. Gavin Locklear worked his way onto the depth chart as a player before immediately jumping into coaching.

Locklear was golfing with friends last December when N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren called to offer him the job. Doeren previously described Locklear as a positive addition to the program, both as an athlete and a coach.

Now in his eighth season with the team, Locklear has proven to be a positive for N.C. State’s staff.

“It’s unbelievable. It’s a dream come true,” Locklear said. “It’s something that when I stepped on campus in 2013 that would have never even crossed my mind. It’s an extreme blessing. It’s a blessing from God. I’m just glad that he put that on the heart of Coach Doeren, and he trusted and believed in me enough to be part of his staff and something that I was a part of helping build as a player.”

‘He pushes excellence from us’

Doeren believes in development. Even in the merry-go-round world of the transfer portal, he and his staff recruit with the intention of developing every player to be the best he can be. Locklear, a product of that philosophy, brought that mindset to his own players this season.

N.C. State’s tight end group, like the rest of the team, has flown under the radar this season but flourished under Locklear’s direction.

Elon transfer Cody Hardy is one of the top tight ends in the ACC, leading the position group — among those who have taken at least 50 snaps — with an overall offense grade of 75.2 on Pro Football Focus. That grade had been as high as 83.7. He also leads the ACC’s tight ends in his run blocking grade (75.1) and is fourth in pass blocking (74.6).

On a national level, Hardy ranks in the Top 50 in for overall offense, pass blocking and run blocking, according to PFF. After Week 3, the’d climbed to No. 9 in overall offense and No. 6 in run blocking among those who have taken at least 25 snaps on offense. He was No. 4 nationally among tight ends who have competed for at least 60 snaps.

“​​I think what gets lost in this is the blocking of Cody Hardy, too,” Doeren said after the team’s win at Wake Forest. “That kid doesn’t get to catch the ball a lot, if at all, but, boy, does he make a difference in the run game.”

Hardy was the second-highest graded N.C. State player against the Demon Deacons, behind only CJ Bailey. He was also second behind Teague Andersen in run blocking efficiency.

In three seasons at Elon, Hardy never graded above 54.0 in overall offense or more than 68.2 in either run blocking or pass blocking.

Dante Daniels’ overall grade is slightly down, but he’s improved dramatically in the pass blocking scheme. The senior jumped from a 37.1 pass blocking grade in 2024 to 71.4 in through five games this year.

Justin Joly got out to a somewhat slow start, as well, but scored his first two touchdowns of the season against Wake Forest and looked like himself again. He is No. 3 in the ACC among tight ends with an overall offensive grade of 70.3 prior to the Week 6 matchup.

All three players complimented Locklear’s coaching and credited him in their development, noting his attention to detail, high expectations and passion for football. Doeren also praised Locklear’s work with Preston Douglas and Gus Ritchie. The two young tight ends have yet to play, but the staff believes they can eventually step into larger roles.

“Gavin, honestly, is our biggest supporter and biggest critique, at the same time,” Daniels said. “He’s an amazing dude. He pushes excellence from us. Every single game, he tells us we should be the reason we could win this game. That’s our mentality every practice, too. We should win the practice.”

The Wolfpack offense is better because of his work, too.

N.C. State is averaging 29.4 points per game, with quarterback CJ Bailey completing 72.8% of his passes. The Pack averaged 175.3 rushing yards in the first three matchups, though that dropped to 151.2 after the losses to Duke and Virginia Tech. There are improvements still needed, but Locklear has the tight ends working well within Roper’s scheme and in sync with the rest of the offensive line.

“He’s hard on them, but he does it in a way where the guys really respect him,” Doeren said. “They know he really cares about him, but he pushes them. … Gavin’s definitely done a good job in his new role.”

Why Gavin Locklear was drawn to football

Three close relatives, including Locklear’s father and uncle, played college baseball. His cousin, Tyler, is a first baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Gavin played football and baseball growing up, and it would’ve made sense for him to continue the family tradition.

But Locklear was drawn to the physicality of football and, most importantly, the size of the team. He appreciated how many different people were needed to play and getting to connect with his various teammates.

“You get to meet so many people and be around so many different walks of life, and people that are so special in their own ways,” Locklear said. “You end up becoming really good friends with people that you would have never met if it wasn’t for the game.”

Locklear wasn’t highly recruited in high school, receiving offers to play at FCS-level Campbell and Wingate, a Division II school. He also received an offer to walk on at N.C. State and potentially earn a scholarship.

At the time, Locklear knew he could’ve played for the Camels or the Bulldogs and made an impact. He could’ve earned playing time sooner and maybe been a major contributor, but there was more to the decision.

“It was always a thing of me betting on myself. I knew who I was, deep down inside,” Locklear said. “I knew what my work ethic was like, and I knew what my desire, my drive was: to be really good and prove myself right, more so than proving other people wrong.”

Locklear, from Apex, started as a scout team player and helped the starters prepare for games while improving his own skills, determined with making it to the field on game day.

He approached every day with the goal to be a little better, help the team immediately and hopefully be a part of winning games.

Earning a football scholarship at NC State

It took Locklear two years — he was sidelined in 2014 with a broken right leg — to earn a scholarship. It was before the start of the 2016 season and he became the first walk-on to receive one that year. He said it was one of the “biggest highlights” of his career.

“Talent is great, and there’s a lot of people that are blessed with extreme talent. I was never one of those guys,” Locklear said. “I was never the most talented person in my position room and on the team. It really taught me, if you’re willing to put your head down and work day in and day out, that you can outwork a lot of people in life, and you can outwork a lot of people in a lot of areas.”

He appeared in 36 games and finished with 107 receiving yards and 46 yards on punt returns. Locklear even completed 3 of 4 passes for 86 yards, targeting former quarterback Ryan Finley and receiver Jaylen Samuels.

Over a decade removed from his high school career, Locklear knows he made the right decision joining the Wolfpack.

“I probably could have gone to those other schools and played earlier. The stats and the playing time look different, but I would never change it,” Locklear said. “As you come in as a walk-on, and you put your head down in your work, you really do, truly start to learn who you are, and the things that you once believed about yourself, you now start to see become reality.”

Some players know they want to be coaches

Doeren sat in a ballroom at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown following the Wolfpack’s press conference at the ACC Kickoff in July. There, he discussed the addition of Locklear and Isaiah Moore to his 2025 staff.

“I learned hiring from within is a good thing. Hiring your players, there’s just something about that,” Doeren said. “It’s your school, you do not want to see them fail. There’s a different level of commitment to the cause when you have a former player on staff. It’s pretty personal, and it’s exciting to be at some place for so long.”

Some players know they want to be coaches, he said, and it’s clear by how they carry themselves.

Moore, a former standout linebacker, was one of those. N.C. State coaches knew he’d be on the sidelines with a whistle around his neck. Doeren hired Moore as a defensive quality control coach and assistant linebackers coach. He was a volunteer assistant last season and spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons as an assistant at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh.

Some players, however, may have the traits to be successful coaches but need a little nudge.

Former wide receivers coach George McDonald asked Locklear before his senior season what he wanted to do after his playing days were over. Locklear hadn’t given it much thought, and McDonald suggested coaching might be something he would excel at and enjoy.

Locklear helped with spring football and Pro Day in 2018. He joined the N.C. State staff that fall as a volunteer assistant coach before spending the 2019 and 2020 seasons as a graduate assistant.

In 2021, Locklear became an offensive quality control coach and remained in the role until his promotion last winter. Though it might feel like he’s new, Locklear assisted in developing former Wolfpack stars KC Concepcion, Thayer Thomas and Emeka Emezie.

“He’s not new to this game. He’s not young to this game,” offensive coordinator Kurt Roper said in the offseason. “He’s got a lot of experience. Maybe it’s not necessarily as a full-time coach, as we say. He’s stepping into that role, but he’s been coaching a lot of football for a long time, and we’re fortunate to have him on the staff.”

Continuing what he started with the Wolfpack

Locklear showed his players the nameplate on his desk during one of their first meetings. It serves as proof of where he started and where he is now.

The Wolfpack provided Locklear a chance to earn an education, play his favorite sport and overcome hardships. The person he is today is partly because of N.C. State. Locklear gets to pour into other young players the same way his coaches did for him. But he comes at it from first-hand experience. He knows what it’s like to play college football and do it at the same stadium and for the same head coach.

He’s been in the meetings, workouts, practices and pregame tunnel. He’s experienced the lows of losing and highs of consistently winning eight and nine games.

He doesn’t take his job lightly and doesn’t go easy. There’s nothing the tight ends are being asked to do that he hasn’t done himself.

And, it’s all to continue the N.C. State football legacy.

There is some pressure, Locklear admits, but it’s mostly appreciation. He gets to help young men grow into better players and people.

“He cares deeply about our players but he cares a lot about the university, our culture that we have in the locker room and upholding the standards and the rules that we have,” Doeren said. “He definitely does a great job of not only developing players but creating an opportunity for them to grow into the best version of themselves.”

Jadyn Watson-Fisher

The News & Observer