Jul 25, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren speaks to the media during the ACC Kickoff at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Dave Doeren's History of Bouncing Back

Originally posted on NC State Wolfpack on SI
By Tucker Sennett | Last updated Aug 13, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The 2024 season ended disappointingly for North Carolina State football. The Wolfpack walked off the field at the Military Bowl, heads hung low after a disappointing loss to East Carolina for the seventh loss of the season.

NC State head coach Dave Doeren enters his 13th season in charge of the program, having seen it all. The program in Raleigh has the coach's DNA running through it at this point, for better or worse.

The Wolfpack experienced a handful of similar seasons to the 2024 campaign and Doeren has historically led the team back from those lows.

The 2013-2014 Turnaround

In his first year coaching the team in 2013, things weren't easy for Doeren. He was fresh off a season in which he led Northern Illinois to an Orange Bowl. The 12 wins for the Huskies were the most in program history.

His first season leading the Wolfpack was far different than his last with the Huskies. NC State finished a dismal 3-9 and failed to win a single ACC game. The team won its first two games of the season before a 1-9 stretch the rest of the season. Despite the ugly beginning to the era, the school trusted Doeren's process.

That trust turned into a major turnaround, as he led the Wolfpack to an 8-5 season in 2014. The team capped off Doeren's second year with a win in the St. Petersburg Bowl over UCF. It was the beginning of a streak in which NC State won seven or more games from 2014 to 2018.

Another Collapse

The Wolfpack fell apart in 2019 after an incredibly successful 2018 season. The team won nine games with quarterback Ryan Finley and several other future NFL players on the roster. Six players were named to the All-ACC First Team, including Rimington Award winner Garrett Bradbury.

Most of those core players departed for the NFL following the 2018 season, leaving Doeren with a younger roster ready to be rebuilt. The program bottomed out in 2019, finishing 4-8 with just one conference win. But again, the university trusted Doeren to right the ship.

Again, he found a way, leading NC State to another 8-win year in the bizarre COVID-19-affected 2020 season. The team won eight or more games from 2020 to 2023 before the struggles hit in 2024. A 10-win season has eluded Doeren during his entire tenure, much to the chagrin of Wolfpack fans.

If history has shown anything, it's that Dave Doeren will find a way to have the Wolfpack more competitive in 2025 than it was in 2024.

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This article first appeared on NC State Wolfpack on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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