Dave Doeren will return as the NC State football coach in 2026. What we know
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- Doeren will return as N.C. State head coach in 2026 under contract through 2029.
- Doeren owns a 94-70 N.C. State record and the most wins in program history.
- Corrigan cited culture and player development as reasons to retain Doeren.
N.C. State football is sticking with its head coach for another season.
Dave Doeren, who led the Wolfpack to a 42-19 win over North Carolina on Saturday, will return to the Wolfpack for his 14th season in 2026.
Athletic Director Boo Corrigan expressed support for Doeren in a statement provided to the media.
“Dave has built a program that is centered on culture and player development — on and off the field,” the statement read. “You can see his passion for this program and the student-athletes in how hard our team plays and competes. I look forward to continuing to find new ways to support him and the football program.“
Doeren has been with N.C. State since 2013, and the Wolfpack will play in its 11th bowl game under his leadership. His retention at N.C. State eliminates the school’s potential issue of hiring a new coach during a tumultuous coaching cycle.
Penn State, Florida, UCLA, LSU, Arkansas, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, California and Oregon State are the FBS programs that fired their coaches before the season ended.
Connecticut, Tulane, North Texas, South Florida and Memphis must find new coaches after theirs were hired by those who already had openings.
Doeren is the second-longest tenured coach in the ACC, behind only Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, and tied for the fifth-longest in FBS after Oklahoma State fired Mike Gundy in September.
Earlier this season, Doeren denied rumors of an impending retirement, and told the AP he has the “full intention” of being at N.C. State. His contract runs through 2029 and holds a buyout of roughly $12.5 million.
“I think about winning games, trying to find ways to get better, trying to help this football team, trying to help this university, trying to help my coaches, trying to be a good dad, trying to not get my wife mad at me — that’s what I think about,” Doeren said at the end of October. “Do I have plans down the road someday to retire? Sure, but I don’t have plans to do that [now]. I’m going to keep coaching. I’ve got four years left on my contract.”
Doeren turns 54 on Wednesday, the same day as National Signing Day. He holds a 94-70 record at N.C. State and possesses the most wins by any coach in program history. His record also includes a 9-4 record over UNC, and the victory on Saturday night made Doeren the third coach in school history to win five consecutive meetings against the Tar Heels.
N.C. State moved to 7-5 overall and 4-4 in ACC play after a strong finish. The Pack won three of its last four games, picking up victories over then-undefeated Georgia Tech (48-36), holding Florida State to one of its lowest scoring games of the season (21-11), and dismantling the UNC defense (42-19).
The Wolfpack’s season, defined by injuries and tragedy on the defensive side, was a roller coaster. It featured a 45-33 loss at Duke, which is now in the ACC Championship game, and a 23-21 home loss to Virginia Tech. The team also suffered blowouts at Notre Dame and Miami.
Despite the outcome of several games, Doeren repeatedly said he loved working with this particular group of players. He complimented the players’ ability to take accountability and instruction, resilience and close bond. He did not have that in 2024.
“I hated coaching that team last year,” Doeren said in October. “There was so much selfish stuff on that sideline. We don’t have that on this team. We’ve got a bunch of guys that actually really care about each other.”
Some fans called for Doeren’s termination during its difficult stretch, but Corrigan said on separate occasions he did not believe in firing midseason and multiple factors — not just the win/loss record — should play into coaching change decisions, including the team’s culture and the player relationships.
N.C. State will find out its bowl game destination next week, at the conclusion of the conference championship games. After finishing 6-7 in 2024, the Wolfpack will be guaranteed a record above .500, regardless of the bowl outcome.
Doeren has finished with three losing seasons (2013, 2019, 2024) in his time at N.C. State, and he has never had back-to-back losing seasons.
