NC State fires football coach Dave Doeren after 14 seasons
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The gist
NC State fired football coach Dave Doeren on Oct. 24, a day after a 31-28 loss at Stanford.
The move ends the ACC's second-longest tenure and raises a $9.75 million buyout question.
Background
Dave Doeren was NC State's head football coach for 14 seasons, the second-longest tenure in the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) behind Clemson's Dabo Swinney at 18 years. His seat had been a hot topic among Wolfpack fans after a season-opening blowout loss at Virginia, a last-second loss at Vanderbilt and a blowout home loss to Wake Forest. Since the start of the 2024 season, NC State had just nine wins against Power Four opponents, with losses of 41, 34, 29, 26, 24 (twice), 19, 12 and 10 points in that span. Athletics director Boo Corrigan announced the change the day after the Stanford defeat.
How it unfolded
- Oct 19, 2026Doeren held a press conference previewing the Stanford game and discussing the new 24-team college football playoff format. The same day he moved up a spot in a hot seat index without playing, after NC State (3-3, 1-2 ACC) was idle following a 38-14 home loss to Wake Forest.
- Oct 22, 2026NC State (3-3, 1-2 in the ACC) prepared for a Friday night visit to Stanford (3-4, 1-3), having been outscored 115-53 in the second half across five FBS games.
- Oct 23, 2026NC State lost 31-28 at Stanford, falling to 1-3 in the ACC and 3-4 overall.
- Oct 24, 2026NC State announced Dave Doeren was relieved of his duties as head football coach, following the Stanford loss, per athletics director Boo Corrigan.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- NC State athletics director Boo Corrigan announced the coaching change the day after the Stanford loss, saying in an October 2025 radio appearance that he felt there had been "a little bit of a loss of dignity" in mid-season firings.
- Coach
- Doeren said after the loss that "it starts with me" and that he didn't have the team ready, calling the performance "not good enough. Not even close."
- Analysts
- Reporters Fischer and Forde wrote that "the tenor seems to have changed" around Doeren in recent weeks and that an amicable split after the season wouldn't be a surprise.
Still unverified
Reporting that an amicable split after the season wouldn't be a surprise, and that "the tenor seems to have changed" around Doeren, was attributed to reporters Fischer and Forde. Whether a midseason change would happen had been framed as uncertain, given Corrigan's prior public comments against mid-season firings.