The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1407083
TRACKING THE PACK SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 ■ 17 This past spring, former NC State offensive lineman Merci Falaise was promoted to director of player personnel/general manager for head coach Dave Doeren's Wolfpack program. Falaise had previously been serving as director of recruiting and assistant director of player personnel since 2017. Prior to returning to NC State, Falaise spent three years working on the football staff at Tennessee and before that was an offensive coordinator/recruiting coordinator at Gar- den City (Kan.) Community College, where he coached star NFL receiver Tyreek Hill. What was it like to be recruited by Chuck Amato? "Very good times, great times. Even being in recruiting now, just the different rules and things we have, it's com- pletely different. I remember coming here on my official visit and they had my name on the scoreboard. We definitely can't do anything like that now." What stood out about Chuck Amato when you saw him? "My first time talking to him was on the phone, so it was … definitely the voice. Once meeting him, he usually had his shades on and of course he liked the weight room a little bit too." Do the players call you Coach or Merci? "Through the recruiting process everybody calls me Coach Merci. I coached for nine years and they always called me Coach Merci. Coach Falaise for some, but it usually always got broken down to Coach Merci. Of course, my last name is a little harder to say. "Around the building, because I have been through our whole roster now through the recruiting process, they call me Merci." What does your role involve at NC State? "The main thing is just overseeing everything. Making sure all our evals are done, coming up with a recruiting plan for different guys, looking at graphics and different things. Mak- ing sure our coaches get what they need to help recruit. "Just basically overseeing everything and making sure ev- erything runs as smoothly as possible." How much pride do you take in your wardrobe? "When you look good, you feel good. That's my motto. I'm a really big shoes guy. I have a lot of shoes. Everybody has their thing, and shoes are my thing. I know for a fact I have over 200 pairs of shoes." How do you manage your shoe collection? "When I was moving back here to Raleigh, looking at places, that was the first thing I went to. I went straight to closets. How big is the closet? Because I wanted to make sure I'll be able to house all my shoes. "I probably have a little bit over half of my shoes here. The rest of my shoes are back home in Washington, Ga., at my mom's house. Usually when I make trips home, I'll actually rotate some stuff out." Have you compared your shoe game with basketball coach Kevin Keatts? "I can comfortably say — and I am pretty confident in it — at NC State there is nobody staff-wise, I'll say player-wise either, that's messing with me with the shoes. I am going to crown myself the champion of that." — Matt Carter SITTING DOWN WITH: Football Director Of Player Personnel/General Manager Merci Falaise Falaise played along the NC State offensive line from 2004- 06, and is the ACC's first Black director of player personnel. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS Etch Your Name Into Wolfpack History One Brick At A Time 1. Orders will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis. You will receive a confirmation email within 30 days of your order. Please review it carefully. If you do not receive a confirmation email or a correction is necessary, please notify us at majorgi•s@wolfpackclub.com or at 919-865-1500. 2. In order for the Wolfpack Club to accommodate requests for bricks to be placed next to each other, the orders must be submitted together with proper instructions. Every effort will be made to accomodate these requests. 3. All text will be a standard size, font, and style. Greek letters and other symbols not found on a standard keyboard may not be used. 4. Messages will be centered automatically. 'e use of upper and lower case lettering is permitted. All spaces and punctuation marks count as a character. 5. 'e Wolfpack Club reserves the right to exclude orders that it deems to contain inappropriate language. 6. 'e Wolfpack Club will determine the final placement of all bricks. Help fulfill the vision by leaving your legacy etched on a brick on the north plaza walkway connecting the PNC Arena and Carter-Finley Stadium. Ordering Instructions: To order please contact us at majorgi€s@wolfpackclub.com or 919-865-1500. brick flyer for wolfpacker.indd 1 8/21/2018 11:03:30 AM