Dave Doeren is about to put his name on a piece of NC State football history that has survived for more than 50 years.
Entering his 14th season in Raleigh in 2026, Doeren already has 165 games coached with the Wolfpack. That leaves him eight shy of matching Earle Edwards, whose 173 games across 17 seasons from 1954-70 remain the program standard. If Doeren stays on the sideline for every game this fall, the record should fall at Carter-Finley Stadium.
The timing lines up neatly with NC State’s schedule. The Wolfpack’s eighth game comes at home against California on October 31st, which would give Doeren his 173rd game and tie Edwards.
One week later, NC State hosts Duke on November 7th. If everything goes as planned, that matchup would become Doeren’s 174th game at NC State, moving him past Edwards for the most games coached in school history.
What makes the run stand out is how unusual that kind of staying power is in modern college football. Coaches get run out, move on, or get swallowed up by the sport’s nonstop churn.
Rosters change through the Transfer Portal, assistants leave, and programs rarely sit still. Doeren has done the opposite.
His 14 seasons in Raleigh are the second-longest tenure by any head coach in NC State history, behind only Edwards’ 17. He also ranks second among active ACC head coaches in tenure, trailing only Clemson’s Dabo Swinney. Nationally, just three current FBS head coaches have been at their schools longer.
Rank Head Coach School 2026 Season
1 Kirk Ferentz Iowa 27th
2 Troy Calhoun Air Force 20th
3 Dabo Swinney Clemson 19th
4 Dave Doeren NC State 14th
Of course, longevity like that doesn’t happen by accident. It comes with results.
In Doeren’s first 13 seasons, NC State reached a bowl game 11 times. The Wolfpack has won at least eight games in seven of the last nine seasons, including four nine-win campaigns in that span.
Since 2020, NC State has also been one of the ACC’s most reliable winners. The Wolfpack ranks second in the league with 48 overall victories over that stretch and is tied for second with 30 conference wins.
There are still bigger boxes left to check. NC State has not won an ACC Championship under Doeren, and the program is still chasing only its second 10-win season in school history. But whatever else happens, the record for games coached is now within reach.
Doeren arrived in Raleigh before the 2013 season after leading Northern Illinois to an Orange Bowl appearance. Back then, nobody could say how long he’d last at NC State. Fourteen seasons later, he’s on the verge of passing a mark that has stood since Edwards coached his final game in 1970.
In Other News...
Former NC State Standouts Are Giving Fans More To Watch This Preseason
Week 3 of the 2026 NFL preseason gave NC State fans a familiar kind of extra rooting interest, with several former Wolfpack standouts scattered across the league and getting real work in game action. Jordan Waters turned in a productive outing for the Los Angeles Rams, while Dylan McMahon drew a start at center and came away with a strong PFF grade, the kind of preseason development that can matter as roster decisions get closer.
Caden Fordham, Garrett Bradbury and Kentavius Street were among the other former NC State players to see the field and help their teams in varying roles. For Wolfpack followers, the preseason is offering more than just a glimpse of where those players landed after Raleigh - it is also a reminder of how much NC State talent continues to show up when NFL teams start sorting out their depth charts. [Read more 🡒]
CJ Bailey Knows What NC State Must Prove In The Opener
CJ Bailey has been around long enough to know the first in-conference game can say plenty about where a team stands, and the third-year NC State starting quarterback made clear this week that the opener against Virginia is about more than just getting into league play. Meeting with the media, Bailey talked through the Wolfpacks mindset, his own growth as a player and what he sees in Virginia, giving a veteran quarterbacks perspective on a game that already carries weight for both sides.
Bailey also touched on former teammates and the competitive edge that usually comes with a matchup like this, where familiar faces and fresh stakes tend to sharpen everything around the field. For NC State, the challenge is not just winning the opener but showing the kind of consistency and poise that tells the rest of the conference the Wolfpack are ready for what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Has A New Defensive Voice Entering Virginia Week
Dave Doerens latest update after fall camp offered a good look at how NC State is trying to steady itself heading into its ACC road opener at Virginia. The Wolfpack are leaning into a broader leadership model this season, with eight captains spread across different position groups, a setup Doeren said reflects the balance and accountability the staff wants in the room. It is the kind of internal detail that often matters most once the games start getting tight on the road.
One of the clearest signs of that shift has been transfer linebacker Popo Aguirre, who has moved quickly from newcomer to one of the voices his teammates trust. Doeren pointed to Aguirres humility, work ethic and leadership as reasons he earned respect so fast, and the captaincy vote showed how quickly he has fit into the fabric of the defense. For a team trying to establish its identity entering conference play, having a new defensive presence rise that fast is a pretty useful development. [Read more 🡒]