Good read, I'm in the "don't like the hire" camp, but there are some really positive nuggets to consider in this article, to support the other perspective.
NC State's season came to a crashing end on Saturday night with a 41-10 home loss to rival North Carolina, and while Dave Doeren stated in the postgame press conference that he needed some time to reflect before making any staff changes, that ended up being less than 48 hours.
Early Monday morning the school released a statement that defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable had been relieved of his duties. That opened the door for a new voice to command the Wolfpack defense for the first time in seven seasons, given Huxtable arrived in Raleigh with Doeren in 2013.
“Moving forward defensively, I’ve decided we would like to go in a different direction,” said Doeren in a prepared statement.
While Wolfpack fans speculated that former assistants Clayton White or Ryan Nielsen could replace Huxtable or that Doeren might look to coaches who have previously worked with him like Pitt defensive line coach Charlie Partridge or SMU defensive coordinator Kevin Kane, it ultimately turned out that the new guy was already in the Murphy Center.
Wednesday afternoon the school announced that Tony Gibson, the team's co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach, is taking over as the new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, and this is definitely the right move for the Wolfpack program.
Doeren made the decision prior to the 2019 season to switch to a 3-3-5 defense, and Gibson played a major role in implementing the scheme. It was the base defense Gibson utilized during his five seasons as defensive coordinator at West Virginia, and he knows all the intricacies of the “3-3-Stack.”
Previously State played 4-3 and 4-2-5 defenses under Huxtable, so following the 2019 season Doeren could have elected to return to those fronts. If he is committed to the 3-3-5, however, then Gibson is the man for the job. Huxtable was tasked with serving as the primary play-caller this year, and it just didn't work. Some of that could have been due to injuries and youth, but after a 4-8 season, changes are going to be made. The hope for NC State is that Gibson will be more comfortable in that role, and Doeren seems confident the assistant is deserving of the opportunity.
“I look forward to building our defense with Tony Gibson as the leader,” said Doeren. “He has a strong vision for what we need to do on defense and his knowledge of our personnel and recruits will help us design the structure of our defense around our talent.”
A highly-regarded recruiter, Gibson will have a say in the types of defensive recruits the Wolfpack will target, and his familiarity with the scheme should make it easier to find the pieces necessary for success. While at West Virginia he built defenses capable of turning teams over, getting stops on third down, and being productive in the redzone -- all traits that Doeren covets.
Sure, it helps that Gibson is a strong recruiter, but this decision wasn't about recruiting. NC State has stocked up on defensive recruits the last two-plus seasons, landing 10 four-star defensive signees in the 2018 and 2019 recruiting classes while having commitments from two more in the 2020 class. Most of those young players have already received playing time, so now it comes down to Gibson and the rest of the defensive staff putting them into positions to succeed and helping them reach their full potential.
Development could be why Gibson wasn't just tabbed defensive coordinator; he was also given the linebackers job. In the 3-3-5 scheme, linebacker production is critical. Blitz packages are constructed to maximize their ability and they are also asked to be contributors in coverage. Often linebackers are extensions of the defensive coordinator and are frequently the voice of the defense.
Gibson coached linebackers while serving as defensive coordinator at West Virginia, and he surely has a better feel for the type of linebackers needed to succeed in his scheme. Look no further than his final year in Morgantown when his star player, David Long, Jr., was named 2018 Big IX Defensive Player of the Year by the coaches and media after 111 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, and eight sacks.
Long wasn't the biggest linebacker, checking in at just 5-foot-11 and 221 pounds, but Gibson developed him into a two-time All-American who left early for the NFL and is now a Tennessee Titan.
Dave Huxtable also had a strong reputation for developing linebackers, but it's certainly possible that what is needed to be successful at the position in the current scheme might not be the same as it was under Huxtable
2020 will be a critical year for Dave Doeren and NC State. He could have easily ventured outside of the program and relied on coaching contacts or gaudy stats to fill the vacancy. Frankly, that might have made some Wolfpack fans feel better about the situation given how some are now looking back at Doeren promoting the co-offensive coordinators.
However, he believes in Tony Gibson, and he appears to believe in the current scheme. If so, then he definitely made the right move in tabbing Gibson the new leader of the Wolfpack defense.
https://www.wralsportsfan.com/tri-p...ator-is-the-right-move-for-nc-state/18813285/
NC State's season came to a crashing end on Saturday night with a 41-10 home loss to rival North Carolina, and while Dave Doeren stated in the postgame press conference that he needed some time to reflect before making any staff changes, that ended up being less than 48 hours.
Early Monday morning the school released a statement that defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable had been relieved of his duties. That opened the door for a new voice to command the Wolfpack defense for the first time in seven seasons, given Huxtable arrived in Raleigh with Doeren in 2013.
“Moving forward defensively, I’ve decided we would like to go in a different direction,” said Doeren in a prepared statement.
While Wolfpack fans speculated that former assistants Clayton White or Ryan Nielsen could replace Huxtable or that Doeren might look to coaches who have previously worked with him like Pitt defensive line coach Charlie Partridge or SMU defensive coordinator Kevin Kane, it ultimately turned out that the new guy was already in the Murphy Center.
Wednesday afternoon the school announced that Tony Gibson, the team's co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach, is taking over as the new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, and this is definitely the right move for the Wolfpack program.
Doeren made the decision prior to the 2019 season to switch to a 3-3-5 defense, and Gibson played a major role in implementing the scheme. It was the base defense Gibson utilized during his five seasons as defensive coordinator at West Virginia, and he knows all the intricacies of the “3-3-Stack.”
Previously State played 4-3 and 4-2-5 defenses under Huxtable, so following the 2019 season Doeren could have elected to return to those fronts. If he is committed to the 3-3-5, however, then Gibson is the man for the job. Huxtable was tasked with serving as the primary play-caller this year, and it just didn't work. Some of that could have been due to injuries and youth, but after a 4-8 season, changes are going to be made. The hope for NC State is that Gibson will be more comfortable in that role, and Doeren seems confident the assistant is deserving of the opportunity.
“I look forward to building our defense with Tony Gibson as the leader,” said Doeren. “He has a strong vision for what we need to do on defense and his knowledge of our personnel and recruits will help us design the structure of our defense around our talent.”
A highly-regarded recruiter, Gibson will have a say in the types of defensive recruits the Wolfpack will target, and his familiarity with the scheme should make it easier to find the pieces necessary for success. While at West Virginia he built defenses capable of turning teams over, getting stops on third down, and being productive in the redzone -- all traits that Doeren covets.
Sure, it helps that Gibson is a strong recruiter, but this decision wasn't about recruiting. NC State has stocked up on defensive recruits the last two-plus seasons, landing 10 four-star defensive signees in the 2018 and 2019 recruiting classes while having commitments from two more in the 2020 class. Most of those young players have already received playing time, so now it comes down to Gibson and the rest of the defensive staff putting them into positions to succeed and helping them reach their full potential.
Development could be why Gibson wasn't just tabbed defensive coordinator; he was also given the linebackers job. In the 3-3-5 scheme, linebacker production is critical. Blitz packages are constructed to maximize their ability and they are also asked to be contributors in coverage. Often linebackers are extensions of the defensive coordinator and are frequently the voice of the defense.
Gibson coached linebackers while serving as defensive coordinator at West Virginia, and he surely has a better feel for the type of linebackers needed to succeed in his scheme. Look no further than his final year in Morgantown when his star player, David Long, Jr., was named 2018 Big IX Defensive Player of the Year by the coaches and media after 111 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, and eight sacks.
Long wasn't the biggest linebacker, checking in at just 5-foot-11 and 221 pounds, but Gibson developed him into a two-time All-American who left early for the NFL and is now a Tennessee Titan.
Dave Huxtable also had a strong reputation for developing linebackers, but it's certainly possible that what is needed to be successful at the position in the current scheme might not be the same as it was under Huxtable
2020 will be a critical year for Dave Doeren and NC State. He could have easily ventured outside of the program and relied on coaching contacts or gaudy stats to fill the vacancy. Frankly, that might have made some Wolfpack fans feel better about the situation given how some are now looking back at Doeren promoting the co-offensive coordinators.
However, he believes in Tony Gibson, and he appears to believe in the current scheme. If so, then he definitely made the right move in tabbing Gibson the new leader of the Wolfpack defense.
https://www.wralsportsfan.com/tri-p...ator-is-the-right-move-for-nc-state/18813285/
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