RALEIGH, N.C. — Todd Goebbel stepped to the microphone Monday evening in Raleigh as NC State’s interim head football coach, the first member of the program to speak publicly since the school fired Dave Doeren over the weekend.
NC State announced Doeren’s dismissal Saturday, less than a day after a road loss at Stanford. The move ended a 14-year run in which Doeren became the winningest coach in program history.
Goebbel joined the staff in 2019 and most recently coached running backs and handled special teams. He said athletic director Boo Corrigan phoned him Saturday evening, after the team had flown back to Raleigh that morning, to tell him about the change and his new role.
At Monday’s news conference, Goebbel thanked Doeren for hiring him, said he would honor the culture his former boss built and promised the Wolfpack would keep its hard, tough and together identity. He said he reached out to other coaches who had stepped in on an interim basis, but has leaned mostly on his players.
Doeren was not the only coach let go. Defensive coordinator DJ Eliot was also fired after Stanford put up 31 points. Assistant Charlton Warren will call the defense the rest of the way, and special teams analyst Zac Roper picks up Goebbel’s old duties.
Goebbel’s first game in charge comes Saturday when NC State, 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, hosts California. The Wolfpack have at least five regular-season games left, and the program will play them under an interim staff while the school weighs its next permanent hire.
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