How Did Tony Gibson Do in His First Year at North Carolina State?

After spending five years as the Mountaineers' defensive coordinator, Van, West Virginia native Tony Gibson took on a new venture at North Carolina State.

During the 2019 season, Gibson held the title of co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. Unfortunately, year one was one that Gibson would like to forget about. The one that had to hurt Gibson the most was his homecoming return to West Virginia when the Mountaineers hung 44 points and 445 total yards on the Wolfpack defense. Quarterback Austin Kendall threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns and the running backs had their best game of the season, going for 173 yards, averaging 6.3 yards per carry.

The misery didn't end there as the Wolfpack struggled seemingly the entire season allowing 30.1 yards (82nd) and 389 yards per game (72nd). Following the season, NC State made the decision to fire defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable and hand over the coordinator duties to Tony Gibson.

Despite the rough season, NC State did have two defensive players drafted, defensive ends Larrell Murchison (5th Rd., Titans) and James Smith-Williams (7th Rd., Redskins).

Things don't seem to be looking much brighter for Gibson in 2020, as the Wolfpack are projected to go 5-7, according to ESPN's Football Power Index.

Grabbing another defensive coordinator position was probably the right move for Gibson. However, he may want to consider vying for a head coaching position at the Group of Five level in the next couple of years. He has the resume and the ability to be successful as a head coach somewhere.

How do you think Tony Gibson will do in his second season at North Carolina State? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!

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