NC State Makes More Coaching Staff Changes Before Spring Practice

RALEIGH — NC State continues to tinker with the coaching dynamic ahead of the 2026 football season, adding new faces to the mix. The program announced two new additions to the coaching staff, bringing in longtime coach Roc Bellantoni as a defensive analyst and Randy Floars as a graduate offensive assistant, a few weeks before the start of spring camp.

The addition of Bellantoni is the more substantial of the two. The Wolfpack is still transitioning to the scheme of DJ Eliot, the team's defensive coordinator who took over before the 2025 season. Another experienced voice on the defensive side of the ball could go a long way in getting NC State back to its defensive-minded culture and identity that it played with through so much of the Dave Doeren era.

The impact of the new additions

Auburn Tigers outside linebackers coach Roc Bellantoni is interviewed at the Woltosz Football Performance Center in Auburn, Ala., on Monday, March 24, 2025. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bellantoni joins the staff with a wealth of coaching experience, having been involved in the profession for 31 years. He will join the Wolfpack, working primarily with the team's defensive line. The coaching organization for the defensive line already shifted quite a bit, as defensive line coach Charley Wiles shifted into a recruiting-focused role and the team will run the position group by committee.

Throughout his entire career, Bellantoni coached either defensive linemen or outside linebackers, making him something of an expert in handling the edge rushing positions. He most recently served as the outside linebacker coach for Auburn, but made stops all over the country, including a stint with Drake, hence the Dave Doeren connection.

Rocco Bellantoni — Florida Atlantic Owls defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni teaches Florida Atlantic Owls linebacker Jacob Douglas (45) at FAU football practice in Boca Raton, Florida, on August 7, 2015. (Allen Eyestone / The Palm Beach Post) | Allen Eyestone / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The crowning achievements of Bellantoni's career both came while coaching defensive linemen. Under his tutelage at Florida Atlantic, Trey Hendrickson began to emerge as a potential standout player. Obviously, since working with the veteran coach, Hendrickson has gone on to become one of the NFL's most effective pass rushers.

During his time with Auburn, Bellantoni worked with future Carolina Panther Pro Bowler Derrick Brown, helping him become a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Wolfpack staff hopes his voice can have a similar impact on the current stable of defensive linemen, headlined by Tulane transfer Harvey Dyson II.

Welcome to the Pack!

🔗https://t.co/L6UBeTS0u1 pic.twitter.com/d8g9dKgjfr
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) February 18, 2026

In addition to Bellantoni, Floars joins the Wolfpack staff on the offensive side. He most recently worked at Newberry College (S.C.) as an offensive line coach, run game coordinator and recruiting coordinator. He'll make the jump to the Division I level with the Wolfpack in 2026, helping out on the offensive staff, working with current offensive line coach Garret Tujague.

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