Dave Doeren Calls Out False Report Regarding Retirement…Giglio Apologizes

Back on October 22nd, Joe Giglio, of the co-host of the podcast ‘Ovies & Giglio’, was a guest on the Lotcast hosted by Alec Lower.

At the beginning of the podcast, Giglio shared that he believes this will be Dave Doeren’s last season as the head coach at NC State. He spoke to the rumors that Wolfpack Athletic Director Boo Corrigan talked Doeren out of retirement at the end of last season, validating them to be true.

Here’s what he had to say:

I really believe this will be his last year. I saw one of your online questions to Alex Post was about ‘Does he really think Dave had to be talked out of retirement last year?’ I really do, and I really do know…yes. I don’t know if it was Boo (Corrigan) who had to talk him out, but I do know there was a conversation that was had before he talked to Boo”

Doeren was directly asked the following week at his regular post-practice media availability, on October 30th, if there was any validity to Giglio’s report.

Here’s the question from the reporter, followed by Doeren’s response.

Reporter: It’s been reported that you considered retiring last year. It’s being said as fact that you’re considering retirement this year. I don’t think anyone’s given you this opportunity to address that. Is that something that you think about?

Doeren: No.

I think about winning games, trying to find ways to get better, trying to help this football team, trying to help this university, trying to help my coaches, trying to be a good dad, trying to not get my wife mad at me.

That’s what I think about, you know. Do I have plans down the road someday to retire?

Sure.

But I don’t have any plans to do that. I’m going to keep coaching. I’ve got four years left on my contract.

I want this place to be as good as it can be. That’s what I want. And I’ve done a lot.

We’ve done a lot here to make this a stable, successful, competitive program. And I love these kids, man. I mean, I get to come to work and be with CJ Bailey.

I get to come to work and be with Isaiah Shirley, Caden Fordham and Brandon Cleveland, all these kids, man. I’m so fortunate. So I’m having fun.

I mean, I know losing sucks and it hurts, and I’m pissed as hell on Sunday and Monday, but I’m having fun going to practices with this football team.

On Sunday, news broke that Doeren would be returning as the Wolfpack’s Head Coach in 2026, debunking Giglio’s report.

During Dave Doeren’s National Signing Day Press Conference yesterday, he was asked about the reports that were swirling around regarding his intentions to continue serving as NC State’s Head Coach in 2026.

You can watch what he had to say below, with the transcript underneath.

As far as being here, I’m having fun and that’s the thing I told everybody, I’m enjoying myself. I love this team. I love these guys. They are fired up about our recruiting class. My staff’s chemistry is excellent.

I think a lot of stuff was made out of somebody’s comments that doesn’t have the right to say those things. I mean, nobody called me and asked me. They just put some BS out there that they think is going on. I’m used to reporters going to Annabelle and saying, ‘Hey, can I ask Dave, is this true?’ before they say something about me, or write something about me. That’s what a reporter should do, but now we just get on podcasts and tell everybody that we have a source, and we know what Dave Doeren’s going to do. Like that’s such BS, you know?

So I love what I’m doing. I’m coaching my butt off. I’m having fun doing it. And I love where I’m working and I’m going to keep doing it, and see where it takes me.

Though Doeren didn’t call out Giglio by name, the message was received, and understood.

Giglio took time to on his podcast today to apologize to Doeren.

You can watch the video below, and read what he had to say underneath.

So I had to give Dave Doeren the best possible birthday gift yesterday. I texted him, and then we ended up talking yesterday.

I apologized to him. I apologize to him here. You know, I got something wrong, and when you’re wrong, you’ve got to admit that. As someone who doesn’t like extra work, I can appreciate that I created extra work for him inadvertently, and that was wrong, and not reaching out to him as he said. And that’s without going into what we talked about or the details that we talked about.

His intentions after last season, I got that wrong. I think I know the process there. We’ll do better next time for sure.