The Dave Doeren era in Raleigh has officially come to an end.
NC State has finally parted ways with Doeren following his 14 seasons at the helm.
NEWS: NC State has fired coach Dave Doeren. The firing comes in the wake of a loss at Stanford on Friday night. He went 98-74 over his 14 seasons there. NC State is 3-4 and 1-3 in ACC after the Stanford loss. pic.twitter.com/8K4Ej1qXgZ
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 24, 2026
The decision came less than 24 hours after the Wolfpack suffered a brutal 31-28 road loss to Stanford, dropping NC State to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in ACC play. Doeren leaves Raleigh as the winningest head coach in NC State football history, but UNC fans will remember his tenure for another reason.
He absolutely tormented the Tar Heels.
Dave Doeren made life miserable for UNC during his time at NC State
Few opposing coaches have consistently gotten the better of the Tar Heels quite like Doeren did.
During his tenure with the Wolfpack, Doeren compiled a 9-4 record against the Tar Heels, including victories in each of the last five meetings between the in-state rivals.
That's a remarkable level of success in a rivalry game, especially given the number of different UNC teams and coaching staffs Doeren faced during his lengthy stay in Raleigh.
The recent stretch has been particularly painful.
UNC hasn't beaten NC State since the Tar Heels' 48-21 Chapel Hill win in 2020. Since then, the Wolfpack have found just about every possible way to beat North Carolina.
We suffered through NC State's stunning comeback in Raleigh in 2021, and felt the pain following the double-overtime loss in Chapel Hill a year later. If Doeren did anything good at NC State over the last few years, it was beating the Tar Heels.
Let's face it: his success against UNC likely kept him around longer than he should've been there.
UNC will see a much different NC State program moving forward
NC State announced that running backs coach and special teams coordinator Todd Goebbel will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2026 season, while the university will immediately begin a national search for Doeren's replacement.
That means when North Carolina and NC State meet later this season, the man who has become such a familiar figure on the opposite sideline won't be there.
Despite all the criticism Doeren received throughout his tenure, his success against North Carolina cannot be ignored. Winning 9 of 13 meetings against any school is dominance, especially when you reel off five straight wins in an in-state rivalry with so much history.
Without a doubt, UNC fans will be happy not to see Doeren on the opposite sideline when NC State travels to Chapel Hill to close out the regular season in just a few weeks.
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