NC State Coaching Search

NC State has fired Tom O'brien and are need of a football coach.  Where will Debbie Yow look when searching for the next leader in Raleigh.  Since Dick Sheridan roamed the NC State sidelines the Wolfpack have flopped on two career assistant coaches and one retread coach whose marginal wins and boring style cost him when it was all said and done.  So where does NC State go from here. The Wolfpack have excellent facilities and a passionate fan base that should be attractive to many college football coaching candidates.  Where NC State should be careful is trying to chase after after false hope where the fan base feels they settled.  This is what happened after Herb Sendek left for the dessert and after chasing Calipari the Wolfpack settled for Sydney Lowe.  We all know how that turned out.  So where should the Wolfpack begin?  They should take a page from rival North Carolina and find the next up and comer with an high powered offense and head coaching experience where they are not learning on the job while at NC State.

Pete Lembo: Ball State
Limbo wins wherever he coaches from Elon to Ball State and what Lembo brings is a fling the ball around mentality that the faithful in Raleigh would love.  Lembo is not the sexy pick that Debbie Yow will be looking for, but he recruits well at every level improving the offense at every stop.  Lembo will not get a look in Raleigh, but look for his name to be thrown around with Purdue opening.




Chad Morris: Clemson
Morris has brought his high powered offense to Death Valley and this attacking style would be welcomed in Raleigh.  The only drawback to Chad is his inexperience running a program and will NC State be patient with a new coach who is learning his way around being a head coach?  With a new quarterback the Wolfpack are expected to rebuild next year which could be a favorable situation for bringing in a new coach to cut their teeth with their first job.

Sonny Dykes: La Tech
Sonny Dykes is my favorite of all the available coaches to land in Raleigh.  Dykes would be an offensive breath of fresh air for NC State. His background includes stints with Hal Mumme, Dana Holgerson and Mike Leach.  Dykes would bring an air attack that would rejuvenate a hungry fan base and his wide open style would attract the type of play making recruits Debbie Yow desires at NC State.        

Gus Malzahn: Arkansas State
Malzahn in his his first year as a head coach at Arkansas State has developed a prolific offense, but what may be more important for Gus's resume is the fall of Auburn to the bleak bottom of the SEC and the firing of Gene Chizik.  Malzahn's offense is high powered and would be an aggressive fit for Wolfpack nation.

Obviously none of the candidates on this list are the primary names that come up on talk radio or message boards, but are quality football coaches that would be an upgrade in Raleigh over the vanilla style of football NC State fans have watched for six years.  Imagine a NC State vs UNC where over 120 plays are ran between both schools and over 100 points are scored.  That can be the norm in this series if NC State chooses the right coach.