NC State head coach Dave Doeren has built a reputation as a strong recruiter. Top-35 recruiting classes in 2014, 2015 and 2018, in addition to the 20th and 33rd-ranked classes in 2019 and 2020, respectively, will do that for you.
Over the last six years, Doeren has gotten past, present and future commitments from 15 four-star and 120 three-star recruits, a good haul for a program directly adjacent to SEC country.
However, Doeren’s recruiting has only led to a 34-30 (15-25 ACC) record. That record looks a lot better now after a 2017 season that saw the Pack go 9-4 overall and 6-2 in ACC play than it did prior to the season.
After a disappointing 2016 season in which the Wolfpack lost one-possession games to ACC rivals Clemson and Florida State as well as cross-state rival East Carolina, Doeren was firmly on the hot seat with NC State.
A successful 2017 season that included upset wins over then-No. 12 Florida State and then-No. 17 Louisville and culminated in the Wolfpack’s third bowl win in the last four years, earned Doeren a 5-year, $15 million contract.
A five-year extension is certainly a risky proposition for a head coach who just secured his first season at NC State with a conference record above .500. It gets even more risky when it’s remembered that the same coach was on the hot seat just 12 months prior to signing the extension.
With the 2018 season just around the corner, it’s time to see if Doeren has what it takes to live up to his contract.
A 9-4 (6-2 ACC) record should no longer be considered a surprise, exceeds-expectations year; it should be the expectation. Competing for an ACC Atlantic title, a spot in the ACC Championship and consistency in the AP Top 25 isn’t a feel-good story anymore… it is a must-have.
Doeren has had six years now to build up his recruits and solidify the direction of the program. This year’s senior class (includes multiple redshirt juniors with two years of eligibility remaining) hails from Doeren’s 31st-ranked 2015 class and includes key returning players: defensive end Darian Roseboro, offensive lineman Emmanuel McGirt, running back Reggie Gallaspy, safety Jarius Morehead and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.
Common thought in college football is that a head coach shouldn’t face judgement until his first full recruiting class has graduated. Well, Doeren’s first class helped produced NC State’s most successful football season in 15 years. It is time to build on that.
Doeren’s first class, the 2014 class that featured six 2018 NFL draft picks, proved massively successful in its 2017 senior season. If his 2015 class, one that was, at the time, more heralded than the 2014 class, can produce similar results on the field this season, that $15 million will be well spent.
