Athlon recently surveyed ACC football coaches, allowing them to anonymously share their thoughts on conference opponents heading into the 2026 season.
When the conversation turned to NC State Wolfpack football and head coach Dave Doeren, the comments were…interesting.
Here are a few of the anonymous remarks:
“They’ve always been able to recruit some of those edgier kids. When they get off the bus, they look like Clemson or they look like Florida State. It seems like every year with them, the hype has been really big, then it falls off quickly at some point. I don’t know why that’s the case.”
“I don’t think they really have the funds to compete at a high level in the ACC.”
“For a while, they could feed off the great players they had there with the Russell Wilsons, the Mario Williams-type guys. But I don’t get the sense that they have super deep pockets and that they’re able to be competitive with NIL.”
A Perception Problem?
The comments are fascinating because they reveal a perception of NC State that doesn’t match reality.
Perhaps Athlon chose to publish the more critical comments.
Perhaps some ACC coaches genuinely believe NC State lacks the resources to compete.
Or perhaps many of them simply don’t know what the Wolfpack is doing behind the scenes.
Whatever the reason, the results on the field tell a very different story.
The Reality Since 2020
Since the start of the 2020 season, NC State has quietly been one of the most successful programs in the ACC.
Most Overall Wins Since 2020
1. Clemson – 57-21-0
2. SMU – 52-23-0
3. Miami – 47-26-0
3. NC State – 47-28-0
5. Louisville – 45-31-0
6. Pittsburgh – 44-31-0
7. North Carolina – 41-36-0
8. Wake Forest – 39-33-0
9. Florida St. – 38-34-0
9. Duke – 38-36-0
11. Georgia Tech – 34-38-0
12. Virginia – 32-36-0
12. Syracuse – 32-42-0
14. Boston College – 31-42-0
15. Virginia Tech – 30-43-0
16. California – 29-37-0
17. Stanford – 20-46-0
NC State is tied for third-most wins among current ACC members during that span.
Not eighth.
Not tenth.
Third.
From the mouths of opposing coaches, you would assume Doeren has been leading a program near the bottom of the ACC.
Even Better In ACC Play
If the criticism is that NC State can’t compete at a high level in the ACC, the conference standings make that argument difficult to support.
Most ACC Wins Since 2020
1. Clemson – 40
2. NC State – 31
3. Miami – 30
4. Pitt – 29
5. Louisville – 27
6. UNC – 26
7. Georgia Tech – 25
8. FSU – 23
9. UVA – 21
9. Virginia Tech – 21
9. Duke – 21
12. Wake Forest – 20
13. Boston College – 17
14. Syracuse – 15
15. SMU – 14 (Joined in 2024)
16. Cal – 6 (Joined in 2024)
17. Stanford – 5 (Joined in 2024)
The Wolfpack ranks second in the entire conference in ACC victories since 2020.
Only Clemson has won more conference games.
That’s not opinion.
That’s not perception.
That’s the scoreboard.
Doing More With Less?
Let’s assume, for the sake of discussion, that the anonymous coaches are correct.
Let’s assume NC State doesn’t have the deepest NIL pockets.
Let’s assume the Wolfpack isn’t operating with the same resources as some of the conference’s biggest brands.
Wouldn’t that make Dave Doeren’s accomplishment even more impressive?
If NC State truly has fewer resources than many of its peers, yet continues to finish near the top of the league, that says quite a bit about the program’s culture, player development, and coaching.
The Disconnect
What’s most interesting about the Athlon quotes isn’t the criticism itself.
It’s the disconnect.
Several programs that received more glowing reviews from anonymous coaches have won significantly fewer games than NC State over the last five years.
The perception around the Wolfpack often seems stuck somewhere between “solid program” and “middle-of-the-pack ACC team.”
The results suggest something different.
Since 2020, NC State has been one of the conference’s most consistent winners.
Final Thought
The funny thing about anonymous coach surveys is that perception often lags behind reality.
The reality is this:
- Top 3 in overall ACC wins since 2020
- No. 2 in conference wins since 2020
Whether the rest of the league believes in NC State or not doesn’t really matter.
The standings already answered the question.
