Dave Doeren will continue climbing the ranks as one of the longest-tenured coaches in college football with NC State in 2026.
After capping off a 7-5 regular season with another dominant win over North Carolina, the Wolfpack confirmed that Doeren will remain with the team in 2026. NC State athletic director Boo Corrigan acknowledged the growth and trajectory Doeren has the team on, even if it has not been near ACC title contention in several years.
“Dave has built a program that is centered on culture and player development, on and off the field,” Corrigan told The Associated Press. “You can see his passion for this program and the student-athletes in how hard our team plays and competes. I look forward to continuing to find new ways to support him and the football program.”
Doeren entered the 2025 college football season tied with Kentucky's Bob Stoops as the fifth-longest-tenured coach in the FBS. Stoops and Doeren have each been with their respective programs for 13 seasons and are both on track to return for a 14th year.
Barring a sudden change of course, Doeren will remain the second-longest-tenured coach in the ACC, behind Clemson's Dabo Swinney. Both coaches will have much higher expectations to reach in 2026 to maintain that status.
NC State, Dave Doeren polish off up-and-down 2025 season
Doeren's Wolfpack got off to a 3-0 start in 2025 before sputtering out of the gate to begin ACC play. By the time they suffered a 36-7 loss to Notre Dame in Week 7, they took an uninspiring 4-3 record into their first bye week.
However, NC State ended the year on a 3-1 stretch. They managed key victories over No. 8 Georgia Tech, Florida State and North Carolina, while losing to No. 11 Miami on the road.
Doeren entered the season with middling expectations due to his team's youth and relative inexperience. He still improved on his record from 2024, when his team's season was ripped apart at the seams early in the year after quarterback Grayson McCall suffered a gruesome injury.
NC State's strong finish to the season aligns the program for its sixth consecutive bowl game. The Wolfpack, however, have not won a postseason game since 2017, when they defeated Arizona State in the Sun Bowl.
