NC State football coach Dave Doeren makes more changes to defensive staff
Dave Doeren continues to reshape his defensive coaching staff.
N.C. State announced the addition of defensive assistants Brian Mitchell and Joe DeForest to Doeren’s staff on Saturday. Both previously worked with Wolfpack defensive coordinator Tony Gibson.
DeForest replaces Gibson as the safeties coach, and Mitchell will replace George Barlow as the cornerbacks coach. Barlow was fired with one year left on his contract.
The moves come a month after Doeren had fired longtime defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable and promoted Gibson.
N.C. State (4-8) finished the 2019 season with six consecutive losses and a 1-7 ACC record and ranked No. 101 in pass defense (255.5 yards per game) and No. 83 in scoring defense (30.1 points per game) this season.
N.C. State switched to a 3-3-5 alignment before the 2019 season. It’s the same scheme Gibson used at West Virginia. Gibson, Mitchell and DeForest worked together at WVU from 2013-15, where Gibson was the defensive coordinator.
Mitchell has spent the past four seasons at Virginia Tech and previously worked for Ruffin McNeill at ECU from 2010-12.
DeForest has spent the past two seasons at Southern California and previously worked at Kansas, Oklahoma State, Duke and Rice.
Barlow had been on Doeren’s staff since the 2014 season. He is owed the remainder of his contract, which is about $340,000. Huxtable will also still be on the books for the 2020 season for $800,000.
Doeren has yet to make any changes on the offensive staff. The Wolfpack ranked No. 107 in scoring offense (22.1 points per game) under co-coorindators Des Kitchings and George McDonald.
This story was originally published December 28, 2019 at 4:37 PM.
