Fourteen years of loyalty apparently mean nothing when the losses start piling up. NC State has pulled the trigger on a controversial midseason firing, barely 24 hours after an embarrassing 31–28 loss to Stanford dropped the Wolfpack to 3–4. And here’s the irony: the same athletic director who questioned the dignity of firing coaches midseason last year has now done exactly that.
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On Saturday, NC State Athletic Director Boo Corrigan confirmed Dave Doeren’s immediate dismissal, ending the longest coaching tenure in modern Wolfpack football history.
“I want to thank Coach Doeren for his service and contributions to NC State, and for always representing the university with pride,” said Corrigan. “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.”
Running backs coach and special teams coordinator Todd Goebbel, who joined the Wolfpack staff in 2019, will serve as interim head coach while NC State begins a national search for a permanent replacement.
The warning signs emerged in Week 3, when quarterback CJ Bailey fumbled in his own end zone with six seconds remaining against Vanderbilt, turning a 31–28 lead into a devastating 35–31 defeat. Back-to-back wins over Appalachian State and Louisville offered brief relief, but the turnaround didn’t last.
A 24-point defeat to Wake Forest exposed the team’s weaknesses again. Then came Stanford, which had already been demolished by Miami (45–6), Duke (35–7), Wake Forest (57–3), and Notre Dame (58–7). Losing to a team with that track record only made NC State’s struggles harder to defend.
“It starts with me. The guys didn’t play well enough, which means I didn’t have them ready,” Doeren told reporters late Friday night. “… Second half, they just out physicaled us… You’re not going to win games when you can’t win the line of scrimmage. That was very disappointing… Not good enough. Not even close.”
None of the NC State players spoke to the media afterward. But the problems went beyond one ugly Friday night. Since 2024, Doeren had managed just nine victories against Power Four opponents, with the Wolfpack suffering defeats by 41, 34, 29, 26, 24 (twice), 19, 12, and 10 points during that stretch.
Despite those struggles, Doeren leaves as the ACC’s second-longest-tenured head coach, behind Dabo Swinney, and the fourth-longest-tenured in the FBS. According to Sports Reference, his 14 seasons produced a 98–74 overall record and a 4–6 bowl record. The Wolfpack finished nationally ranked three times under his leadership: No. 23 in 2017, No. 20 in 2021, and No. 21 in 2023.
But NC State’s decision could come with a hefty price tag. According to Rodd Baxley of The Fayetteville Observer, the university could owe Doeren $9.75 million under his contract’s buyout terms if he was dismissed without cause before January 1.
And that potential payout makes Corrigan’s October 2025 comments particularly difficult to ignore.
“Honestly, I think there’s been a little bit of a loss of dignity in what we do and firing of coaching mid-season and some of those things,” Corrigan said during a radio appearance.
“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?”
A year later, Corrigan has answered his own question with a firing.
With five games remaining, starting with a home matchup against Cal on October 31, the Wolfpack must finish the season under Goebbel while preparing for a new era.