NC State Fires Doeren; Billy Napier on Hot Board — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- NC State fired Dave Doeren on Saturday, one day after a Stanford loss dropped the Wolfpack to 3-4, and will begin its first head-coaching search since 2012.
- Dave Doeren departed as the program's winningest coach with a 98-74 record over 14 years and four bowl wins, but he won no conference titles and posted no final AP Poll ranking better than No. 20.
- Billy Napier appears on PackPower's initial hot board after leading James Madison to 7-1 in his first year and into contention for the Group of Six's CFP bid.
- Florida finished 22-23 during Napier's four-year tenure, one game under .500, even though the Gators reached as high as No. 13 in the AP Poll.
- Louisiana produced three double-digit-win seasons and two bowl victories from 2018-21 under Napier, who was named Sun Belt Coach of the Year twice.
- Napier carries a 69-36 career head-coaching record, a 3-2 bowl mark and three upset wins over top-10 teams; he also spent five years under Nick Saban at Alabama and earned two national championship rings.
- PackPower's hot board also includes an unnamed coach described as "risky" who could raise a sizeable amount of NIL money for NC State.
Why it matters: NC State's replacement inherits a 98-74 benchmark but no conference titles, while the stated goal is to rise above the ACC's mid-tier. Napier brings a 7-1 first-year record; the unnamed "risky" candidate could bring a sizeable amount of NIL money.
Ask SkimNews
