The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547338
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2026 ■ 23 BY NOAH FLEISCHMAN ave Do e re n s to o d j u s t outside NC State's locker room at Stanford Stadium and didn't seem any dif- ferent after a loss. He analyzed what had just occurred before his eyes — and those of the fans scattered throughout the largely empty venue — while he started to look ahead to a new week. "We'll go back and try to get these guys as healthy as we can, starting to- morrow, and then put it to bed and move on to the next game," Doeren said just after 11 p.m. local time Oct. 23. "All you can do is go fight and try to win the next one." But, as it turned out, that was the final time Doeren would make a pub- lic appearance as the Wolfpack's head coach. He was dismissed Oct. 24, just hours after the team returned to Raleigh following the 31-28 loss at Stanford. "I want to thank Coach Doeren for his service and contributions to NC State, and for always representing the univer- sity with pride," athletics director Boo Corrigan said in a statement. "I appre- ciate his leadership during his 14-year tenure and the passion he brought to this role. We wish Dave, Sara and his family the best in the future." The decision to move on from Do- eren in the middle of the season was unexpected around the industry with many observers believing the 14th-year coach would at least have the chance to complete the regular season before being relieved of his duties. That, however, didn't hap- pen with the change coming shortly after the three-point loss to one of the bottom-tier power-conference squads. Instead, Doeren — who NC State made its first midseason head coaching change since 1930 — is due to be paid an approximately $10.3 million buyout after his con- tract was set to run through the 2029 campaign. In addition to Doeren, NC State also fired general manager Andy Vaughn and defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot in the wake of the Stanford loss. The situation got to the point where it was time to finish the last five games of the season with interim coach Todd Goebbel at the helm of the program for a combination of reasons. A turbulent 2026 campaign and a stagnant level of success seemed to be what culminated in Corrigan firing just his second head football coach (Army's Rich Ellerson was the other in 2013). Let's start with this fall. Doeren seemed to be supremely confident in the squad he had entering the season, going so far as to say "it's when we win 10 [games] or more" on the ACC Net- work's visit to NC State fall camp in Au- gust. He championed the idea of being the one to get past the glass ceiling the program seems to have with just one squad reaching double-digit wins in school history (2002), exuding a level of confidence he didn't usually display in media settings. "The legacy I want to have … is break- ing through," Doeren said on the televi- sion set. The hype that Doeren built around his team, however, came to a screeching halt after a 34-8 loss at Virginia in Week 0. The lopsided loss in which neither the offense or the defense found a rhythm and were manhandled by the Cavaliers for 60 min- utes, was not the tone-setter the veteran coach was looking for out of the gate. Two games later, and when it seemed like the Wolfpack had a quality road win at Vanderbilt wrapped up, junior quarterback CJ Bailey fumbled in his own end zone while trying to take a game-sealing safety. The loose ball was recovered by the Commodores, sink- ing the Pack with one second to play in Nashville. Although NC State bounced back to beat App State and Louisville, it proceeded to lose to Wake Forest and Stanford in its following two games. The five-week stretch not only char- acterized the turbulent season, but its second-half defensive woes magnified the issue. NC State was outscored 125- 91 after halftime through its first seven games, which led to consistent blown leads throughout nearly the entire fall. Looking at the bigger picture, Doeren's teams seemed to plateau in success over D ■ Dave Doeren Year-By-Year Year Overall ACC League Finish Bowl Result Rank* 2013 3-9 0-8 7th (Atlantic) — — — 2014 8-5 3-5 5th (Atlantic) St. Petersburg NC State 34, UCF 27 — 2015 7-6 3-5 4th (Atlantic) Belk Mississippi State 51, NC State 28 — 2016 7-6 3-5 T-4th (Atlantic) Independence NC State 41, Vanderbilt 17 — 2017 9-4 6-2 2nd (Atlantic) Sun NC State 52, Arizona State 31 23/23 2018 9-4 5-3 3rd (Atlantic) Gator Texas A&M 52, NC State 13 — 2019 4-8 1-7 7th (Atlantic) — — — 2020 8-4 7-3 T-4th Gator Kentucky 23, NC State 21 — 2021 9-3 6-2 T-2nd (Atlantic) Holiday^ — 20/19 2022 8-5 4-4 T-3rd (Atlantic) Duke's Mayo Maryland 16, NC State 12 — 2023 9-4 6-2 3rd Pop-Tarts Kansas State 28, NC State 19 21/21 2024 6-7 3-5 T-10th Military East Carolina 26, NC State 21 — 2025 8-5 4-4 T-7th Gasparilla NC State 31, Memphis 7 — 2026 3-4 1-3 Total 98-74 52-58 4-6 * Final rankings in the Associated Press/Coaches polls ^ Game was canceled due to COVID-19 + NC State finished in the final CFP rankings five times (2017, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023) $ NFL Draft picks at NC State: 30 (3 first-round picks) Doeren finished his NC State tenure with a school-record 98 victories, surpassing Earle Edwards' 77. His 14 seasons leading the Wolfpack rank second to Edwards' 17. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS " I want to thank Coach Doeren for his service and contributions to NC State, and for always representing the university with pride." NC State athletics director Boo Corrigan