The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1137844
48 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2019 BY MATT CARTER W hen Eli Drinkwitz left after his third season as NC State's of- fensive coordinator and quar- terbacks coach to take the head coaching job at Appalachian State, Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren responded quickly by promoting running backs coach Des Kitchings and wide receivers coach George McDonald to co-offensive coordinators. The two both have backgrounds coordinat- ing an offense. Kitchings did it for Vanderbilt in 2010 and McDonald handled those duties for Syracuse in 2013-14. The two are inherit- ing a unit that must reload. Quarterback Ryan Finley ranks second in most statistical passing categories in NC State history. Running back Reggie Gallaspy set a school record for touchdowns a season a year ago (19) and made it three straight years with a Wolfpack runner gaining more than 1,000 yards on the ground. Wide receivers Jakobi Meyers and Kel- vin Harmon were both named first-team All- ACC after having 1,000-yard seasons, the first time two Pack wideouts reached that milestone in the same season. Garrett Brad- bury was a consensus All-American who won the Rimington Trophy as college football's best center. All of them are gone, but that does not faze Kitchings and McDonald. Here are highlights from separate interviews conducted with the two. How have you managed your new role so far? MCDONALD: "It's been good. I think Drink [Drinkwitz] did a great job of laying the foundation of having open communica- tions with all of us. Now it's just really Des and I talking, more in terms of solidifying everything, but also having everybody else involved with everything. "From that standpoint, it's been good. We've always communicated, so it's pretty much the same stuff." How are you approaching being an offen- sive coordinator? KITCHINGS: "In my time here at NC State with Coach [Dana] Bible to Coach [Matt] Canada to Coach Drinkwitz, all three of them had moments of time where they were very successful offensively. "Yet, all three of them were different of- fensively in how to attack and score points. I try to draw from that and mainly continue the progress that we've had the past three years — being able to throw the football the way that we have systematically, but also being able to improve running the ball. "We've had a 1,000-yard rusher the last three years, but there are still some things that we all believe we can do better in the run and pass game. It's mostly taking how we have developed this overall in three years with Coach Drinkwitz and now how can we continue to make it better." MCDONALD: "I think I have more expe- rience, so situations that might come up I'll be more ready for based off what's been done at different places." What will be your approach — a continua- tion of NC State's offense the last few years or some dramatic changes? KITCHINGS: "It's NC State's offense. There are some things that are probably going to look different — you probably saw some of that in the spring game — and maybe some things will look the same. "Coach McDonald and I are working very well together. We have three new coaches, guys that have been very successful at differ- ent places. If there's something that they've been doing at their old school that can help us make this better we are open to it. It's put- ting all the pieces together into the NC State offense. "The bottom line, it's a production busi- ness. We know we have to score points." Have you reached out to some other co- coordinators for advice? NEW MEN IN CHARGE Des Kitchings And George McDonald Take Over The Offense In Co-Coordinator Roles OFFENSE Q&A This fall, Kitchings starts his eighth season with the Pack. He has coached the running backs every year he has been in Raleigh, and under his tutelage NC State has had a 1,000-yard rusher in three straight seasons for only the second time in school history. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN