NC State football coach Dave Doeren is the second-longest tenured coach in the ACC. His 14-season run in Raleigh trails only Dabo Swinney's 18 years with Clemson. That run could be in danger.
Friday night was a woof from the Wolfpack as NC State lost 31-28 to Stanford to fall to 1-3 in the ACC this season (3-4 overall).
NC State had rebounded from an inexplicable and inexcusable Week 3 loss to Vanderbilt in which quarterback CJ Bailey fumbled in the end zone nursing a three-point lead from their own 4-yard line with six seconds remaining.
The Wolfpack beat Appalachian State and Louisville back-to-back to seemingly right the ship. However, following a heavy 24-point loss
to Wake Forest — and a bye week — NC State's loss to fell ACC struggler Stanford on Friday won't ease any heat on Doeren — especially considering this is a Stanford team that lost to Miami, 45-6; lost to Duke, 35-7; lost to Wake Forest, 57-3; lost to Notre Dame, 58-7.
"It starts with me. The guys didn't play well enough, which means I didn't have them ready," Doeren told reporters late Friday night. "... Second half, they just out physicaled us... You're not going to win games when you can't win the line of scrimmage. That was very disappointing... Not good enough. Not even close."
No NC State players were made available to media following Friday's loss.
Since the start of the 2024 season, Doeren has just nine victories against Power Four opponents. During that same span, the Wolfpack have suffered losses by 41, 34, 29, 26, 24 (2x), 19, 12 and 10 points.
I like Dave Doeren, he’s a good guy who loves NC State.
— Raleigh’sRed (@RaleighsRed) October 24, 2026
That said, watching Dave Doeren this year is like watching your dog get old. Feels like all the energy is gone in the team. Now there are no results AND no energy. program is objectively in a bad spot
What is Dave Doeren buyout?
If fired without cause before Jan. 1, Doeren would be owed a buyout of $9.75 million for the three years remaining on his contract, per Rodd Baxley of the Fayetteville Observer, part of the USA TODAY Network.
But a midseason change may not be in the cards, considering Boo Corrigan's public comments from last season.
“Honestly, I think there’s been a little bit of a loss of dignity in what we do and firing of coaching mid-season and some of those things,” Corrigan said during a radio appearance in October 2025.
“You’ve got people that truly dedicate their life to something, and if it doesn’t work out, is there a need to fire them immediately?”
Dave Doeren should’ve retired after beating UNC last season, riding off into the sunset with a red solo cup and a cigar after handing Belichick an L. https://t.co/6eEd2uvs0m
— Mitchell Northam (@primetimeMitch) October 24, 2026
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dave Doeren’s NC State seat gets hotter after brutal Stanford loss: 'Not even close'
