NC State fans are losing patience as another season slips away without a breakthrough.
For over a decade, Dave Doeren has been the steady hand guiding NC State football. He delivered respectability, a few nine-win campaigns, and consistent bowl appearances. But he has yet to take the program to the places fans crave most, an ACC title game or a New Year’s Six bowl. After another crushing home loss, the whispers about his job security are growing louder.
Doeren has been in Raleigh for 13 seasons, making him one of the longest-tenured coaches in the ACC. While stability has its perks, fans are frustrated. NC State remains the only founding ACC member to never reach the championship game. Even Duke, Wake Forest, and Boston College have broken through. Doeren’s teams often win nine, but never ten.
The latest home defeat to Virginia Tech feels like one of those turning-point losses. Add in the defensive collapse at Duke earlier this year, and it paints a picture of decline rather than growth. These are the types of setbacks that push administrations to make hard choices.
Doeren was hired after taking Northern Illinois to a BCS bowl. That spark excited NC State fans. But 13 years later, the dream of a New Year’s Six appearance feels distant. He’s not a failure, far from it. He raised the floor. But the ceiling never moved.
For Wolfpack Nation, the question is simple: is it time to chase the next big hire, someone who can finally take NC State where Doeren could not?
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