Looking at the NC State Football Staff During Spring Practice

RALEIGH — Dave Doeren and NC State football are ready to get things back into gear, with spring practices for the 2026 season getting underway on Tuesday. The Wolfpack made several changes during the offseason, rejiggering the roster and the coaching staff to optimize the people still in the building, while also adding new voices to raise the ceiling of the program as a whole.

The shifts to the coaching staff were some of the most important changes made before spring practice. While the core of coordinators and position coaches mostly stayed the same, there were a handful of minor tweaks and additions that should help Doeren and his program reach another level of competitive status in the ACC by the time the season gets going in August.

What does the staff look like?

Primary Staff

Head coach: Dave Doeren (14th season)
Defensive coordinator/Outside linebackers: DJ Eliot (second season)
Special teams coordinator/Running backs: Todd Goebbel (eighth season)
Tight ends: Gavin Locklear (seventh season)
Cornerbacks: Brian Mitchell (seventh season)
Inside linebackers: Isaiah Moore (second season)
Assistant head coach/Wide receivers: Joker Phillips (sixth season)
Offensive coordinator/quarterback coach: Kurt Roper (eighth season)
Defensive line: Elisha Shaw (third season)
Run game coordinator/Offensive line: Garett Tujague (fourth season)
Safeties/Nickels: Charlton Warren (second season)

NC State helme — Nov 11, 2023; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; The North Carolina State Wolfpack helmet rests on the bench during the second half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

Other key staff members

Special assistant to the head coach: Ruffin McNeill
Director of strength and conditioning: Dantonio "Thunder" Burnette
Defensive analyst - DL: Roc Bellantoni
Special teams analyst: Zac Roper
Offensive analyst - QB: Matthew Symmes
General manager: Andy Vaughn
Director of high school relations: Charley Wiles

Assessing staff changes

The first significant change came in the trenches. 40-year coaching veteran Charley Wiles moved from his role as the team's defensive line coach to a role as the director of high school relations for the Wolfpack. Rather than replace Wiles with an outside hire, Doeren opted to divide his responsibilities between three different people.

Defensive coordinator DJ Eliot is set to take over coaching the defensive ends and the unique JACK linebacker position, while remaining in his primary role as the coordinator. Elisha Shaw is set to handle the interior of the defensive line, while newly hired defensive analyst Roc Bellantoni will help Eliot with the outside of the trenches.

That allowed Isaiah Moore, the legendary former Wolfpack linebacker, to slide into his new role as the inside linebackers coach, working closely with Eliot to create the next quarterback of the defense.

With the staff set, NC State is ready to pursue more success in 2026, building off the Gasparilla Bowl victory and an 8-5 record in the 2025 campaign.

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