Dave Doeren has faced questions about his future more frequently in the last couple of weeks and has been consistent in expressing his desire to coach at NC State beyond this season. So if he is planning on retiring, he’s doing a great job of keeping it a surprise.
Dave’s been thinking about a lot of things—football, certainly. Ribs, apparently. But retirement? No.
How restorative is one season? How redemptive is one game? Dave’s talked about how much he disliked coaching the 2024 team and how much he has enjoyed coaching this one, win or lose, and maybe that’s been enough to make him realize that he still wants to do this. No doubt beating Georgia Tech was a critical breakthrough in the short term, even if Tech was overrated by the human polls—it wouldn’t be the first time that a timely, noteworthy win has saved his job. In this case, the win opened the door to a winning season.
I’m not sure how much that will alter the mood around town, but I’d say Dave’s 2026 job status is in his own hands right now.
