NC State fires head football coach Dave Doeren after 14 seasons. What we know

RALEIGH

N.C. State Athletic Director Boo Corrigan sat courtside during the men’s basketball exhibition game against Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday afternoon. Corrigan was mere hours removed from his return to Raleigh, following the football team’s disastrous loss at Stanford, exhaustion written all over his face.

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When asked by reporters at halftime whether he had a minute to speak, Corrigan simply said, “Nope,” turning to walk toward the team tunnel. He returned after halftime and watched the rest of the game.

Three hours later, N.C. State announced that head football coach Dave Doeren had been fired.

Doeren’s termination came after the Wolfpack’s disastrous 31-28 loss to Stanford, midway through his 14th season with the program. He was the fourth-longest tenured coach in FBS and second longest in the ACC, behind Clemson’s Dabo Swinney.

“I want to thank Coach Doeren for his service and contributions to N.C. State, and for always representing the university with pride,” Corrigan said in a statement. “I appreciate 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.”

Special teams coordinator and running backs coach Todd Goebbel will serve as the interim head coach, Corrigan announced.

N.C. State also fired general manager Andy Vaughn, who worked for the Pack since February 2023. As of 9:20 p.m. on Saturday, Vaughn’s staff biography was removed from the athletics website.

The Wolfpack sits at 3-4 overall, including 1-3 in ACC play.

Notably, the program had a historically bad loss at Vanderbilt in Week 3. N.C. State led the Commodores for 59 minutes and 59 seconds. Vanderbilt recovered the football in the end zone after CJ Bailey fumbled, ending the game. FBS teams are 1,046-1 in the last 20 years when they had a lead and possession of the football with 10 seconds remaining. The Wolfpack is the lone loss.

Defensive back Chino Aguirre, wide receiver Teddy Hoffmann and offensive lineman Spike Sowells all shared messages of appreciation, specifically saying they love Doeren. Sowells’ mother, Latrese, also shared a message about Doeren.

“Fans have their perspective and I have mine,” Latrese Sowells said. “Thank you Coach D for believing in my son. The first time I met you, you told me my son would be a captain one day. This year, he received some votes, which speaks volumes as a young guy. Thank you, thank you for making us feel like fam!”

N.C. State owes Doeren a $9.75 million buyout, according to his contract. The university is only responsible for paying out the remaining amount of his annual salary multiplied by the three years remaining on his contract, and any applicable bonuses. It is not required to pay the supplemental income he received.

The Wolfpack entered the season with high hopes. Corrigan, in the same news conference, shared those hopes. He said people get into athletics to win games and “you let the dust settle and see where you land.” Corrigan said he felt “very good” about this season’s team.

Instead, N.C. State was embarrassed in its season opener at Virginia. It fumbled away a victory at Vanderbilt. N.C. State nearly lost to Appalachian State and was blown out at home against Wake Forest. The loss to Stanford — a bad Cardinal team, no less — was the final straw.

Corrigan served as one of Doeren’s most ardent supporters, vehemently defending the program’s longtime leader. A season ago, Corrigan went on the record to express his belief in Doeren, his assistants and the rest of the staff. Days before the season opener, Corrigan once again backed Doeren.

“I believe in Coach Doeren, who he is and what his approach is,” Corrigan said on Aug. 21. “He’s a great fit here. He’s a great football coach. He understands who we are as a university, but I think Dave’s also done a great job of adapting to this new world.”

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The timing speaks volumes, considering Corrigan previously told reporters he preferred to let coaches finish seasons before making changes. This, however, will allow the program to jump-start its search and handle roster management.

A look inside Doeren’s tenure

Doeren was consistent throughout his time with the Wolfpack, but the team never won 10 or more games, a feat only accomplished by the late Chuck Amato in 2002. It also never won the ACC during Doeren’s tenure and went 1-8 against the SEC.

N.C. State finished with a winning record in 10 seasons and recorded eight wins or more in eight seasons. The program had eight wins in four consecutive seasons (2020-24), a feat no other coach has achieved. Lou Holtz finished with three straight seasons of eight or more wins.

Doeren’s teams struggled at times in the latter half of his career. In 2019, a significant low point, the Wolfpack went 4-8. A five-game regular-season winning streak allowed the team to finish with nine wins in 2023 after starting 4-3.

In 2024, the Pack ended the year 6-7 after losing to East Carolina in the Military Bowl. The program lost four games by one possession.

N.C. State struggled again in 2025 after starting 3-0. It went 1-4 midway through the year before rattling off wins in four of its last five games, including a bowl victory, to finish with eight wins.

Though the Wolfpack never had a flashy season, the team was still a consistent competitor and developed a number of NFL-caliber players, with 29 players taken in the draft under Doeren.

Justin Joly (Denver Broncos), Anthony Belton (Green Bay Packers), Payton Wilson (Pittsburgh Steelers), Ikem “Ickey” Ekwonu (Carolina Panthers), Alim McNeill (Detroit Lions), Garrett Bradbury (Minnesota Vikings) and Bradley Chubb (Denver Broncos) are among the NFL Draft picks. Ekwonu, Bradbury and Chubb were all first-round selections.

Every former player who was on a 2026 NFL training camp roster played at least part of their career during Doeren’s tenure.

Doeren was hired in 2013 and finished with a 98-74 record at N.C. State and 121-78 in his career. The Wolfpack made 11 bowl game appearances during Doeren’s tenure, including five straight from 2014-18.

Off the field, Doeren was active in the community. He attended a local church and supported efforts to promote inclusivity, particularly for disabled and neurodivergent individuals. Doeren promoted 321 Coffee, a local company that employs people with disabilities, and provided start-up funding for a program to help neurodivergent N.C. State students.

He also began a longstanding partnership with Gigi’s Playhouse, which supports individuals with disabilities. Participants at the clubhouse not only visited the team during game weeks, but the program held its annual “Victory Day” to give them an opportunity to experience football. They received introductions and touchdown celebrations through the Carter-Finley Stadium PA system and performed several drills.

The university will begin a national search for a new coach.

This is a developing story and will be updated with more information.

This story was originally published October 24, 2026 at 6:16 PM with the headline “NC State fires head football coach Dave Doeren after 14 seasons. What we know.”

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