With the firing of head coach Tom O’Brien; NC State enters the annual coaching carousel in search of a replacement capable of bringing what Wolfpack fans around the state desire — wins.
O’Brien did win in Raleigh, compiling a 40-35 record overall, and his former team will go to its third straight bowl this season. Yet a closer look at his record reveals an 11-19 mark against ACC Atlantic Division opponents, including 1-14 on the road.
O’Brien didn’t win enough to satisfy Athletic Director Debbie Yow. "I told them it's really fairly simple," Yow said. "Coach O'Brien and I agree on the goal of becoming a top-25 program. We just don't agree on what it takes to do that, how to get there."
So, who should NC State hire as its next head football coach?
What we can glean from Debbie Yow’s comments to the media and NC State players is that she is seeking a coach who is an “aggressive” recruiter, someone who can bring in “Alabama-type talent.”
“I have a great deal of respect for people who are aggressive, assertive recruiters,” Yow said. “I believe in this day and age, it is required.
Yow herself said that Vanderbilt’s head coach, James Franklin, whom she considers “a close friend” will not be in contention for the job.
The following are likely candidates to replace O’Brien:
Chad Morris is the offensive coordinator at Clemson. Morris has made Clemson into one of the most prolific offenses in the country.
The Tigers rank 6th in the country in scoring offense and 8th in total offense. "I have learned that Clemson offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Chad Morris is a strong candidate to replace O'Brien," Pete Roussell of CoachingSearch.com wrote.
Butch Jones is the head coach at the University of Cincinnati and is a proponent of the spread offense. Jones has a career 49-27 record at both Cincinnati and Central Michigan.
Sunny Dykes is the head coach at Louisiana Tech and is a prime candidate because he is regarded as an excellent recruiter and because of his ability to take Louisiana Tech, a mid-major program, into the Top 25.
Darrell Hazell is the current head coach at Kent State. He has taken the Golden Flashes to an 11-1 record and his team will play Northern Illinois next week in the MAC championship game. Hazell has assistant coach experience at West Virginia, Rutgers, and at Ohio State University.
The website Football Scoop is reporting that representatives of NC State have reached out to Mike Leach, head coach at Washington State, about the head coaching position. Leach runs the spread offense that was highly prolific at Texas Tech.
My choice to be the next coach at NC State would be Bob Diaco, defensive coordinator at Notre Dame. Diaco has built one of the best defenses in the country and the Irish are recruiting at an elite level. Diaco is young and he could be the person Yow is seeking to reinvigorate the Wolfpack program. If Yow doesn’t scoop him up, someone else will.
Wes Tripp, 22, is an aspiring journalist and avid sports fan. He graduated from Roanoke Rapids High School in 2008 and currently lives in Knoxville where he is a senior at Johnson University. Upon completion of his bachelor's degree, Wes plans to study journalism at the University of Tennessee.