By all accounts, NC State is prepared to extend the contract of football coach Dave Doeren.
Details of the agreement can be found at PackPride in an article by Cory Smith – from that piece.
“A deal is not finalized at this time, but it is expected to be for two additional seasons on top of his current deal. That would extend him through the 2025 season rather than 2023, which is the current length of the contract he signed in 2019. The deal has already been agreed upon, but still requires approval from the NC State Board of Trustees to finalize, according to sources.”
Did NC State make the right decision?
There’s no question that Doeren did a great coaching job last year. We said it on the blog last year, and continue to maintain that he should have been the ACC coach of the year over Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly.
Here’s what I wrestle with. Coming off a 4-8 2019, where yes NC State was riddled with injuries he was basically on the hotseat. The Wolfpack were not so arguably the worst team in the team in the ACC that year. A good 2019 would get him off the hotseat, which it did, but is it worth an extension and a raise?
Doeren’s has been at NC State 8 years, and has never had a top 20 finish. I can’t name a signature non-conference win. A 2017 Sun Bowl win over 7 win Arizona State, A 2016 win over a a 4 win Notre Dame, or maybe 2019 win over a Liberty team that finished in the top 25. That’s not alot to point to.
On the other side of the coin, in his first four years he never finished above .500 in the ACC. It’s happened three of the last four years. There have been three 8+ win seasons in the last four years, while there were zero in his first four years. NC State has never been one to over schedule in their non-conference games, so the yearly results are comparable.
When it comes down to it is NC State better now than at the beginning of the Doeren tenure? I think you have to say yes. Other than Clemson, probably UNC, possibly Miami which ACC programs are you sure are ahead of NC State? That’s a really short list. NC State made a statement with Doeren.
Investment like this shows Boo is committed to building the football program. Fantastic news https://t.co/XHi1E6MtSw
— Red White Pod (@RedWhitePodcast) April 11, 2021
The extension is not unreasonably long either, at only 2 more years than the current deal. At this point in Doeren’s tenure, he’s either your guy or he isn’t. Not extending him, leaves that in doubt about the future, and that’s definitely not what you want while recruiting unless it’s clearly obvious the program is in regression.
It’s not, so I think NC State fans can be satisfied with this move.
