NC State’s Dave Doeren dodges head coaching carousel talk. ‘You just keep going’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Doeren ignores coaching-carousel noise, prioritizes players, staff and game prep
- Contract runs through 2029 at $34.8M total; 2025 pay $5.6M; firing buyout ~$12.5M
- Wolfpack sit 4-4, 1-3 ACC; November slate vs Miami, FSU, UNC, Georgia Tech
N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said Monday he doesn’t concern himself with decisions about his job amid the chaotic national coaching carousel.
Penn State, Florida, UCLA, LSU, Arkansas, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma State fired their head coaches midway through the season. Vocal fans at Wisconsin, Florida State, Auburn and Kentucky appear to want their coaches gone, too.
The Wolfpack, meanwhile, sits at 4-4 overall, and 1-3 in ACC, with a difficult November schedule that includes matchups against Georgia Tech, Miami, Florida State and North Carolina.
Doeren said he doesn’t have time to worry about his job security, how other programs are handling their programs, or what is going on in the rumor mill. That, he said, won’t make him a better coach.
“I gotta worry about my players. I gotta worry about my staff, my wife, my children. Those decisions aren’t mine to make,” Doeren said Monday. “I told the team this yesterday, I’m going to give them everything I got. Our goal is to go win this football game. Then, the next week, we have a bye week, try to get them healthy. Our next week, go win a football game. You just keep going.
“What happens at other schools has nothing to do with what’s happening to me. When decisions are made, they’re made.”
What if Dave Doeren, NC State part ways?
Doeren signed a contract extension in April 2024 that runs through December 2029. The contract, obtained when it was approved by the N.C. State Board of Trustees, is worth an aggregate of $34.8 million, not including any performance-related bonuses.
In 2025, Doeren is set to make $5.6 million. His base salary is $3.1 million, plus $2.5 million annual supplemental income.
The contract stipulates the supplemental income remains the same throughout the contract term, but the base salary increases $125,000 per year. By 2029, Doeren would make $6.1 million.
If the university opted to fire Doeren at the end of the season “for convenience,” or without cause, it would owe him his base salary at the time of termination for the remainder of the contract term. That would equal roughly $12.5 million.
If Doeren terminates the contract to accept other employment, he would owe the university 50% of his base salary at the time of termination for the remainder of the contract term, or roughly $6.25 million.
Facing the criticism
Doeren said Monday he’s not defined by the outcome of a game, but the way he does his job, treats those around him, and cares for his family. He reinforced his belief that adversity reveals the character of a person. He’ll still rely on accountability, improvement, steadiness and reminders to have fun, he said, and hopefully, the team will finally get results everyone desperately wants.
“It’s easy to be this front-running dude when you’re winning. We’ve lost four out of five games. What now? We got to go fight again. Let’s go fight harder,” Doeren said. “That’s who coaches this football team. If it’s not good enough, at some point, then they’ll do what they gotta do. But that’s who they have leading the program. They’ve got a guy who doesn’t quit, that fights his (expletive) off, and that loves his players.”
Fans have expressed criticism, online and in person, about the program under Doeren. The Wolfpack won out in 2023 to reach nine wins after a shaky start. Last season, it finished 6-7 with a loss in the Military Bowl. It was the first losing season under Doeren since 2019, and just the second in his N.C. State career.
This year, the team had chances to beat Duke and Virginia Tech, but blew leads in both games.
AD publicly preaches ‘patience’
N.C. State athletic director Boo Corrigan defended Doeren and the program earlier this month, encouraging fans to have patience and sharing details he looks at when evaluating teams. Corrigan also discussed what he called a “loss of dignity” firing coaches midseason.
Doeren said last week he is grateful to work for a boss who has perspective during a time of instant gratification.
“There’s a reason that we’ve been competitive in a consistent manner for a long period of time,” Doeren said. “Even though we’re not getting the results right now, if you look at the tenure, there’s been a lot of aggressive, competitive football teams here. I know the formula works.”
Some N.C. State supporters, however, say the team has regressed — not only this season but the back half of Doeren’s tenure.
The Wolfpack went 43-34 from 2013-18, his first six seasons, with three years of at least eight wins and three bowl game victories. In the six full seasons since then, N.C. State is 44-31. It won eight games or more in a season four times, but lost all of its bowl games.
Doeren vowed not to give up, regardless of what other people say. He also mentioned the death of Drue Eliot, daughter of defensive coordinator DJ Eliot. The loss provided the team perspective and gratitude. The glass is half full, he said, and the program is focused on what it has and what it can do.
“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.”
This story was originally published October 27, 2025 at 4:31 PM with the headline "NC State’s Dave Doeren dodges head coaching carousel talk. ‘You just keep going’."
