NC State’s coaching search wasted no time landing on a familiar name.
On Sunday morning, On3 insider Pete Nakos connected former Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to the Wolfpack’s vacant head coaching job after NC State moved on from Dave Doeren on Saturday.
Rees, 34, is hardly a stranger to major college football. He played quarterback at Notre Dame from 2010-13 and later worked on the Irish staff from 2017-22. After that, he took over as Alabama’s offensive coordinator in 2023 for Nick Saban’s final season in Tuscaloosa, and that Crimson Tide team finished just two wins short of a national championship with Rees running the offense.
He’s now back in the NFL as the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator, his first year in that role. Before that, he spent the previous two seasons with the Cleveland Browns, including serving as the Browns’ OC in 2025.
In laying out possible replacements for Doeren, Nakos pointed to Rees’ recent background and his interest in another college opportunity:
The former Notre Dame quarterback has been an offensive coordinator in the NFL in recent years but has shown interest in returning to college, sources have said. He was the offensive coordinator at Notre Dame and Alabama before making the move to the NFL, and has interviewed for a handful of college jobs in recent years.
Doeren’s exit closes a long chapter in Raleigh. He had been NC State’s head coach since 2013, finishing with a 98-73 record overall and a 52-57 mark in the ACC. The Wolfpack’s 3-4 start and 1-3 opening in conference play were enough to end his run.
For Rees, the link could signal a possible jump back into the college ranks. For NC State, it’s the first notable name to surface in a search that just opened up.
In Other News...
Lane Kiffin Made A Serious Auburn Accusation After LSU Win
The aftermath of LSUs win at Auburn carried an extra layer of scrutiny after Lane Kiffin said he believed Tigers defenders were trying to use a hip-drop tackle on LSU tight end TreyDez Green. Green, who had just returned from a lower-body injury, was active throughout the game and made his presence felt with five catches for 50 yards and a touchdown, but the contact he absorbed clearly became part of the story once the game was over.
Hip-drop tackles have already been banned by the NFL because of the injury risk involved, which is why Kiffins comment drew immediate attention beyond the usual postgame noise. Greens workload tapered off late, and the concern around his usage added another wrinkle to a physical night in Auburn that LSU was happy to survive, even if the conversation afterward drifted well past the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Just Dragged Auburn Into A Bigger Postgame Debate
Lane Kiffin turned a routine postgame conversation into something bigger when he singled out Auburns defenders for using hip-drop tackles against LSU tight end Treyd ez Green. Green was taken out of the game amid concerns about those tackles, a technique still not banned in college football, and Kiffins comments pushed the focus beyond the final score and into the way the game was being played.
The more interesting part for Auburn is how Kiffin framed the late-game choices from his own sideline, too. He said he put starting defenders back in despite the injury risk, pointing to player requests and the kind of mentality he wanted from his team, which only added another layer to the debate over where toughness ends and unnecessary danger begins. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns LSU Collapse Put One Alex Golesh Question Front And Center
Alex Golesh didnt try to soften the blow after Auburns 38-17 loss to LSU, putting the offensive problems squarely on his own shoulders. He said the game plan wasnt effective and pointed to missed tackles on defense as part of a night in which Auburn gave up 552 total yards while finishing with just 271 of its own.
The broader concern now is whether the Tigers can clean up enough in a hurry before a road trip to Ole Miss. Auburn managed only 67 rushing yards against LSU, and Golesh made it clear the fix has to come through better strategy and sharper execution, two things the Tigers will need if they want to avoid another lopsided result. [Read more 🡒]