Dave Doeren isn’t pretending the transfer portal has become any easier to stomach.
When South Carolina landed another major player out of N.C. State’s program this offseason, the Wolfpack coach made clear he understands exactly what’s happening - and why it keeps happening.
The Gamecocks have now signed back-to-back high-end portal additions from N.C. State, with former cornerback Brandon Cisse arriving in 2025 and offensive tackle Jacarrius Peak following in January as the nation’s No. 5 overall portal recruit.
Doeren addressed the issue at ACC Kickoff on July 15 in Charlotte, and he didn’t hide the frustration that comes with watching developed players leave for more money elsewhere.
“It’s frustrating,” Doeren said in Charlotte. “I mean, it can get you pissed off.”
That was the old reaction. Doeren said he no longer lets himself stay there.
He pointed back to last offseason, when N.C. State lost four starting defensive backs to the portal after the 2024 season. Cisse went to South Carolina, Tamarcus Cooley to LSU, Bishop Fitzgerald to Southern Cal and Devan Boykin to Indiana.
“These were good players, and we lost them because they (other schools) had more money,” Doeren told ESPN’s David Hale. “And that really pissed me off.”
This year brought a similar wave, only with a different tone from the Wolfpack coach. Peak, along with three other N.C.
State offensive starters, ended up at SEC or Big Ten programs. Running back Hollywood Smothers transferred to Texas, receiver Noah Rogers to Alabama and receiver Terrell Anderson to Southern Cal.
“Same thing,” Doeren told ESPN’s Hale. “They got more money.”
Still, he isn’t taking it personally.
“I wish those guys luck,” he said. “I love every one of them.
But I’m not going to talk about guys that don’t play for me anymore. I’m gonna talk about the guys that do.”
Doeren framed the portal reality in the same terms he’d use for staff turnover. Coaches leave for bigger roles or bigger paydays, and now players can do the same thing - with the added wrinkle that they’re getting paid, can transfer an unlimited number of times and can test their value in the portal.
“It’s no different than when I lose a good coach,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to replace a person with another person that wants to be here - and in some cases, it’s an upgrade. If you lose a good player, you go find a better player if you can, right?”
Peak fits the profile of the kind of player N.C. State has long been able to identify and develop.
The 6-4, 305-pound tackle played 38 career games, made 32 starts and logged more than 1,100 pass-blocking snaps for the Wolfpack while allowing just four sacks. As a junior, he earned All-ACC honorable mention in his first season at left tackle and posted the second-best pass-blocking grade among ACC tackles, according to Pro Football Focus.
South Carolina won out over Alabama for his commitment, and Peak signed with the Gamecocks in January. His first offseason in Columbia hit a snag in February, when he suffered a knee injury during the team’s annual 3-on-3 basketball tournament and missed spring practice.
Beamer said at SEC Media Days that Peak is progressing well and should be available at some point. South Carolina opens the season Sept. 5 against Kent State.
Peak said on the USC-focused “Jimmy and Joes” podcast in July that N.C. State played a major role in his development, but that South Carolina was the right next step.
“N.C. State built me into who I am today,” Peak said.
“I hit the portal from N.C. State and came here because this was the best fit for me and my future.
I saw what South Carolina had for me to build me as a man and a player and help me grow.”
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