Gavin Locklear keeps his old locker nameplate on his desk as a daily reminder of his journey from walk-on to coach. A 2017 N.C. State graduate, Locklear was promoted to tight ends coach in December after spending six years in a variety of roles within the program. The move, part of broader changes to the Wolfpack’s offensive staff, marked his first full-time assistant coaching position.
Locklear’s connection to N.C. State runs deep. A lifelong fan, he joined the team as a walk-on in 2013 and eventually worked his way onto the depth chart. His younger brother, Ashton, followed in his footsteps, walking on to the roster in 2022, while their parents remain season ticket holders.
Immediately after his playing career ended, Locklear transitioned into coaching. Last December, while out golfing with friends, he got the call from head coach Dave Doeren offering him the job. Doeren has praised Locklear as a consistent asset to the program, first as a player and now as a coach.
Now entering his eighth season with the Wolfpack, Locklear sees the opportunity as the fulfillment of a dream.
“It’s unbelievable. It’s a dream come true,” Locklear said. “When I stepped on campus in 2013, this never would have crossed my mind. It’s an extreme blessing from God. I’m thankful He put it on Coach Doeren’s heart to trust and believe in me enough to be part of his staff—and to continue building something I helped start as a player.”
‘He pushes excellence from us’
Dave Doeren has always emphasized development. Even in the transfer portal era, when rosters turn over quickly, he and his staff continue to recruit and coach with the belief that every player can grow into his full potential. Gavin Locklear is a product of that philosophy—and this season, he’s carried it into his own work with N.C. State’s tight ends.
The position group has thrived under Locklear, even if it hasn’t drawn much attention. Elon transfer Cody Hardy has emerged as one of the ACC’s top tight ends. According to Pro Football Focus, Hardy leads the league’s tight ends with a 75.2 overall offensive grade (among players with at least 50 snaps), a number that at one point reached 83.7. He also holds the ACC’s top run-blocking grade (75.1) and ranks fourth in pass blocking (74.6). Nationally, he’s inside the Top 50 in all three categories.
After Week 3, Hardy was ranked No. 9 nationally in overall offense and No. 6 in run blocking for players with at least 25 snaps. For those with 60 or more snaps, he was as high as No. 4 in the country. That progress hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“I think what gets lost in this is the blocking of Cody Hardy, too,” Doeren said after the 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.”
Against the Demon Deacons, Hardy graded as N.C. State’s second-best player overall, trailing only CJ Bailey. He was also second in run-blocking efficiency, just behind Teague Andersen. The improvement is striking: in three years at Elon, Hardy never graded higher than 54.0 overall or above 68.2 in either blocking metric.
He’s not the only one showing progress. Senior Dante Daniels, while slightly down in overall grade, has jumped from a 37.1 pass-blocking mark in 2024 to 71.4 through five games this season. Justin Joly, who started slowly, found his rhythm with two touchdowns against Wake Forest and now ranks No. 3 among ACC tight ends with a 70.3 offensive grade.
All three point to Locklear’s coaching as a key factor, citing his attention to detail, relentless standards, and genuine passion for the game. Doeren also credited him for preparing younger tight ends Preston Douglas and Gus Ritchie, who haven’t seen the field yet but are viewed as promising contributors.
“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 as a whole has benefited. Quarterback CJ Bailey is completing 72.8% of his passes, and N.C. State is averaging 29.4 points per game. The run game, which averaged 175.3 yards through the first three contests, has dipped slightly to 151.2 after losses to Duke and Virginia Tech, but the tight ends remain in sync with Robert Roper’s scheme and 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 them, but he pushes them. … Gavin’s definitely done a good job in his new role.”
Why Gavin Locklear Chose Football
Baseball ran deep in Gavin Locklear’s family. His father and uncle both played in college, and his cousin, Tyler, is now a first baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Growing up, Gavin played both football and baseball, and following the family tradition would have made sense.
But football drew him in for different reasons. He loved the physical side of the game, but even more than that, he was drawn to the size of the team—the sheer number of players and the chance to form bonds with so many different people.
“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 out of high school. He received scholarship offers from FCS-level Campbell and Division II Wingate, along with the chance to walk on at N.C. State. He knew he could have made an immediate impact at the smaller programs, earning playing time earlier and possibly becoming a major contributor. But his decision came down to belief in himself.
“It was always a thing of me betting on myself,” Locklear said. “I knew who I was, deep down inside. 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.”
The Apex native started out on the scout team, helping prepare starters for game days while working to sharpen his own skills. He set out every day to get a little better, contribute however he could, and eventually earn a chance to play.
Earning a Scholarship at N.C. State
That chance came after two years of grinding—and overcoming a major setback. A broken leg in 2014 delayed his progress, but Locklear kept pushing. Before the 2016 season, he became the first Wolfpack walk-on that year to earn a scholarship.
He calls it one of the biggest highlights of his playing 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 or on the team. It really taught me that if you’re willing to put your head down and work day in and day out, you can outwork a lot of people in life, and you can outwork a lot of people in a lot of areas.”
A Career Defined by Persistence
By the time his college career ended, Gavin Locklear had appeared in 36 games for N.C. State. He totaled 107 receiving yards, added 46 yards on punt returns, and even showed his versatility by completing three of four passes for 86 yards—connecting with quarterback Ryan Finley and receiver Jaylen Samuels on gadget plays.
The numbers weren’t eye-popping, but for Locklear, they told the story of a player who carved out a role through persistence. More than a decade removed from his high school days, he has no regrets about choosing the Wolfpack.
“I probably could have gone to those other schools and played earlier,” Locklear said. “The stats and the playing time look different, but I would never change it. 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’re Meant to Coach
At the ACC Kickoff in Charlotte last July, Dave Doeren reflected on what it meant to add two former Wolfpack players—Gavin 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.”
For some players, Doeren explained, the coaching path is obvious. Moore, a standout linebacker, carried himself like a coach-in-waiting throughout his playing career. After working as a volunteer last season and spending time at Cardinal Gibbons High School, Moore was hired as a defensive quality control coach and assistant linebackers coach.
Others, though, may need a little push. For Locklear, that nudge came from former wide receivers coach George McDonald. Before Locklear’s senior season, McDonald asked what he planned to do after football. Coaching hadn’t crossed his mind, but McDonald encouraged him to give it a shot.
Locklear began helping with spring football and Pro Day in 2018, then joined the staff later that year as a volunteer assistant. He spent 2019 and 2020 as a graduate assistant, followed by two years as an offensive quality control coach. By the time he was promoted last winter, Locklear already had a hand in developing talents like 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. “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
In one of his first meetings with the tight ends, Locklear pulled out the old locker nameplate that now sits on his desk. It was a reminder of where he started—and what’s possible for the players he now leads.
N.C. State gave Locklear the chance to earn an education, play the game he loved, and overcome setbacks. Now, he gets to invest back into the program, guiding players through the same grind he once lived. He knows exactly what it feels like to run through Carter-Finley’s tunnel, endure the lows of losing, and savor the highs of eight- and nine-win seasons.
There’s nothing he asks of his tight ends that he hasn’t done himself. The standard is high, and the pressure is real—but for Locklear, the role is more about gratitude than burden.
“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.”
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