NC State’s decision to hand the interim job to Todd Goebbel looks a lot clearer when you line up the candidates beside each other.
After the dismissal of Dave Doeren, the Wolfpack turned to Goebbel to lead the program for the rest of the season. That choice came instead of elevating names like Joker Phillips, Kurt Roper or Charlton Warren, each of whom brought a stronger public case on paper in one way or another.
Phillips already holds the title of Assistant Head Coach and works with the wide receivers. He also has previous head coaching experience, having led Kentucky from 2010-12, and he has been on NC State’s staff since 2021.
Roper is in his second season as offensive coordinator and has been part of the staff in Raleigh since 2019. Warren opened the season as co-defensive coordinator and also has a resume filled with coordinator-level experience, including roles at UNC, Indiana and Air Force.
Goebbel, though, brings a different mix of traits that likely pushed him to the front. He has been with NC State since 2019, giving him the same kind of staff continuity as Roper. He has also coached just about every corner of the game over the course of his career: tight ends, quarterbacks, wide receivers, fullbacks, running backs, special teams, offensive coordinator and assistant head coach.
At NC State, Goebbel has handled special teams since arriving in Raleigh and has also coached running backs for the past four seasons. That role kept him involved with players on both sides of the ball, something that matters when a program needs steadiness fast.
His track record with specialists at NC State is hard to ignore. According to highlights from GoPack.com, running back Hollywood Smothers became the first Pack player in 28 years to lead the ACC in rushing yards in 2025, and Smothers’ 6.6 career yards per carry is a Wolfpack record.
Long snapper Joe Shimko won the 2023 Patrick Mannelly Award. Kicker Christopher Dunn won the 2022 Lou Groza Award and set an NCAA record for field goals made.
Punter Trenton Gill was a seventh-round pick of the Chicago Bears in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The list goes on. NC State had a pair of specialists named first-team All-ACC performers for the first time since 1986 in 2021, with Gill and Zonovan Knight earning the honor.
Gill led the ACC in punting average that season at 45.1 yards, which ranked 20th nationally. Knight paced the ACC and was second nationally in kick return average at 34.4 yards.
Dunn finished his Wolfpack career with school records for points, field goals and PATs, going a perfect 170-for-170 on extra points. Cary Angeline was an honorable mention All-ACC pick in 2019 and 2020 and tied for the team lead in touchdown catches.
Gill also set a school single-season punting record in 2019 with a 47.6 average, leading the ACC and earning third-team All-ACC recognition.
Goebbel is scheduled to speak at his first weekly press conference as interim head coach tomorrow.
In Other News...
Payton Wilson Is Making NC State Fans Take Notice In Pittsburgh
Payton Wilson keeps giving NC State fans reasons to check in on Pittsburgh, and his latest performance came in a tight international setting with real late-game stakes. In the Steelers' 16-10 win over the Saints in Paris, the former Wolfpack standout was active all afternoon, finishing with six tackles, a pass breakup and an interception while posting an 89.8 PFF grade, second-best on the team.
The interception was the kind of momentum play that can swing a game, and it came as Pittsburgh was trying to protect a slim lead in the fourth quarter. Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy singled out Wilson afterward, which only adds to the growing sense that the rookie is carving out a noticeable role for himself at the next level. [Read more 🡒]
Philip Rivers And NC State Suddenly Feel Like A Real Possibility
Philip Rivers has quickly emerged as one of the more intriguing names tied to NC States opening, and it is easy to see why the idea has caught on. He is coaching high school football at St. Michael in Alabama now, but his recent brief stint with the Indianapolis Colts last season appears to have opened the door to a different kind of future, one that could extend beyond the prep level. The fit around Raleigh is obvious enough, too, with his son Gunner already at NC State and a few more players from Rivers high school program headed to the Wolfpack.
The storyline has only grown more interesting since the coaching change in Raleigh. Rivers has not been responsive since Dave Doeren was fired, and he has also stepped away from his planned role as offensive coordinator in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic, a move that naturally adds to the speculation. For now, there is still plenty left unresolved, but the possibility that Rivers could eventually be in the mix for NC State is no longer just a throwaway idea. [Read more 🡒]
Philip Rivers Finally Addressed The NC State Coaching Buzz
Philip Rivers has spent enough time around the game to know how fast coaching chatter can take off, especially when an opening appears at a place with as much history as NC State. The former Wolfpack quarterback, now the head coach at Fairhope St. Michael, publicly weighed in after the firing of Dave Doeren, offering respect for Doeren while stopping short of saying anything that would feed the speculation.
Rivers is staying in his current lane for now, and the timing matters. He recently stepped down from his coaching role in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic, but he will remain with St. Michael through the playoffs, leaving the NC State conversation hanging with plenty of buzz and not much clarity. [Read more 🡒]