NC State AD expresses support for football, Dave Doeren: ‘There’s no magic pill’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- AD Corrigan said he does not believe in mid-year coaching changes.
- University would face a $12.5 million buyout if it fires Doeren this year.
- Wolfpack sits at 4-4; Corrigan stresses improvement, not midseason firings.
Dave Doeren will retain his position as head football coach at least through the end of the season and has the full support of the N.C. State Athletic Department.
Wolfpack Athletic Director Boo Corrigan, who attended the weekly Raleigh Sports Club meeting, once again defended the program in a Q&A session with club members and specifically said he doesn’t fire coaches prior to a season’s conclusion. The Wolfpack would owe Doeren a $12.5 million buyout if the university were to fire him this year.
Corrigan, who also praised quarterback CJ Bailey, emphasized that “there’s no magic pill” for success. That includes firing a coach. Some teams invest far more money into their football programs, he said, and are no longer in the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll.
“I don’t believe in firing coaches mid-year,” Corrigan said. “I think it’s a partial money issue. I think it’s a partial fit issue. I think it’s an injury issue. I think everyone’s dealing with everything that’s going on.
“I know it sounds trite, and I’m not trying to be dismissive in any way, shape or form, winning is really hard. It’s really hard every time you go there and compete. We’ve got to find a way to get better.”
His comments come after the Wolfpack lost four of its last five games, and members of the fan base have loudly expressed their displeasure with Doeren.
The Wolfpack is 4-4 overall and 1-3 in ACC play after losing at Pittsburgh last week. Its remaining games are against Georgia Tech, Miami, Florida State and North Carolina.
Corrigan assured attendees that the goal is not mediocrity. The primary directive is to always improve and win as many games as possible, he said. That’s the goal going into the final stretch of the season, to which Corrigan believes the football program is committed.
When asked what if N.C. State will always hover around the seven- to nine-win mark and what the answer is, Corrigan was frank. He doesn’t know the answer.
“If I knew that right now, I’ll tell you what, I’d be pretty good at my job if I could figure that one out,” Corrigan said. “By the way, a lot of schools would trade a lot to [get] seven, eight, nine wins.”
Corrigan said the collegiate landscape — including revenue sharing, the transfer portal and overall transactional nature — makes coaching, an already difficult profession, even more difficult. Doeren’s teams have never won more than nine games.
The Wolfpack had a chance to reach 10 wins in the 2018 Gator Bowl but fell to No. 21 Texas A&M. Then, in 2021 when UCLA backed out of the Holiday Bowl. It fell in 2023, losing to Kansas State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
N.C. State’s lone double-digit win season came under head coach Chuck Amato and quarterback Phillip Rivers in 2002. The team won 11 games. No other coach in program history has achieved the feat.
“The mission hasn’t changed,” Corrigan said. “I still believe in what we do. Coaches are teachers. At the end of the day, that’s what a coach is. That’s why they get into this. They get into this to help young people achieve at a higher level to be the best version of themselves.”
What led up to Corrigan’s comments
Earlier this month, Corrigan shared support for the football program and expressed his dislike of firing coaches during the season.
“Honestly, I think there’s been a little bit of a loss of dignity in what we do and firing coaches mid-season,” Corrigan said last week during a radio show. “You’ve got people that truly dedicate their life to something, and if it doesn’t work out, is there a need to fire them immediately?”
Corrigan understands the importance of winning, but he also thinks schools need to consider all the factors: contract buyouts, team culture and the relationship between coaches and players.
“Let’s remind ourselves we’re 4-3, we’re not 0-7 at this point in time,” Corrigan said on his radio show after the loss to Notre Dame. “The bye week is hitting at a good time for us.”
Doeren said last week he was grateful to work for Corrigan, considering the AD’s nuanced perspective.
On Monday, Doeren added he wasn’t concerned about job security or how other programs were handling coaching changes midseason. Penn State, Florida, UCLA, LSU, Arkansas, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma State are the largest programs this season to fire their head coaches before the end of the year.
“I’ve said this before, he’s a great guy to work for,” Doeren said of Corrigan. “I don’t have to worry about that.”
His priority is fighting to finish the season well and finally playing complementary football. That’s what matters. Worrying about other schools and decisions out of his hands aren’t productive ways to spend time.
“I’m allowed to work with a bunch of awesome kids at a great university in an awesome city, and I’m going to relish that,” Doeren said. “Wins and losses matter a lot. I understand all that. I understand the profession. It’s not pressure, it’s a privilege to get to do what I do. At some point, if they want someone else to do it, then God bless them. But I’m going to take advantage of my opportunities as long as I get them, and fight for these kids, because they’re going to fight for me.”
News & Observer sports reporter Shelby Swanson contributed to this article
This story was originally published October 29, 2025 at 3:16 PM.
