NC State has moved on from Dave Doeren after 14 seasons, ending one of the longest coaching runs in the ACC just a day after a damaging 31-28 loss to Stanford.
The program announced the decision on Saturday, with athletic director Boo Corrigan issuing a statement that thanked Doeren for his time in Raleigh and the way he represented the school.
"I want to thank Coach Doeren for his service and contributions to NC State, and for always representing the university with pride," NC State athletic director Boo Corrigan said. "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."
The timing says plenty. NC State is 3-4 in 2026 and has already dropped four games against Power Four opponents, with the lone bright spot being an upset win over Louisville. The Stanford loss stung in a very specific way: the Cardinal rolled up 477 yards, and quarterback Davis Warren accounted for 303 passing yards and four touchdowns.
For a coach who spent most of his tenure bringing stability, the ending is a sharp one. Doeren piled up 10 winning seasons and reached 11 bowls in his last 12 years, while also guiding NC State to four nine-win seasons, each of them tied for the second-best in school history.
But the breakthrough never fully arrived. The 2002 team led by Chuck Amato and Philip Rivers remains the only 10-win squad in program history, and as the NIL era took hold, Doeren had a harder time keeping NC State on that same forward track.
There was hope after last season’s 8-5 finish, powered by breakout quarterback CJ Bailey. NC State put significant resources into keeping Bailey, but the roster still took hits, with running back Hollywood Smothers leaving for Texas, wide receiver Noah Rogers for Alabama, offensive tackle Jacarrius Peak for South Carolina and wide receiver Terrell Anderson for USC.
NC State now turns to its first coaching search since 2012. Doeren leaves Raleigh with a 98-73 record overall and a 52-57 mark in ACC play.
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Stanfords 31-28 win over N.C. State at Stanford Stadium gave the Cardinal something they have been chasing for a long time: a balanced offense that finally looked the part. Davis Warren ran the passing game efficiently, Micah Ford kept the ground attack moving and Caden High provided a reliable target, giving the home crowd a version of this team that felt much closer to complete.
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Stanford Just Sparked An ACC Coaching Drama Fans Will Watch
A loss at Stanford turned into a major reset for NC State, where the fallout reached all the way to the sideline. Dave Doeren is out after 14 seasons in Raleigh, closing a run that produced a 98-74 record and gave the Wolfpack a long stretch of stability before a 3-4 start and a 1-3 mark in ACC play pushed the program into a new chapter.
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Stanford Just Got The ACC Boost Cardinal Fans Needed
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The win moved Stanford to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the conference, a useful step as it tries to build momentum in its first season of real ACC traction. Just as important, it preserved Stanfords recent comfort in these East Coast matchups under the lights at home, the kind of result that can matter in a league where every week seems to ask for a little more proof. [Read more 🡒]