Tennessee HC Rumors: Dave Doeren Will Stay at NC State Amid Vols' Interest

Dave Doeren has reportedly agreed to return as the head football coach at NC State for the 2018 season despite interest from Tennessee.

According to Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports and Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports, Doeren opted against a move to the SEC in favor of remaining in the ACC with the Wolfpack.

ESPN's Chris Low reported Wednesday that Tennessee had focused its coaching search on Doeren after opting against hiring Greg Schiano and considering the likes of Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy, Duke's David Cutcliffe and Purdue's Jeff Brohm.

The 45-year-old Doeren was hired by NC State at the conclusion of the 2012 campaign after going 23-4 in two seasons as the head coach at Northern Illinois.

While the Wolfpack struggled to a 3-9 record in his first year at the helm, Doeren turned the program around and has reached a bowl game in each of the past four seasons.

Doeren has a record of 33-30 overall at NC State, and the 8-4 Wolfpack have a chance to win nine games this season for the first time since 2010.

A Shawnee, Kansas, native, Doeren was a tight end at Drake University before making several coaching stops as an assistant in the college ranks.

Most notably, Doeren was the co-defensive coordinator at Wisconsin from 2006 through 2007 before becoming the Badgers' sole defensive coordinator from 2008 through 2010.

After hovering around the .500 mark for much of Doeren's tenure, NC State made some recognizable gains this season in terms of scoring some big victories and hanging tough against elite-level teams.

The Wolfpack beat Florida State for the first time since 2012, upset a then-ranked Louisville squad led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson and won a rivalry game against North Carolina for the second consecutive year.

Also, NC State dropped a 38-31 decision to Clemson, falling just short of knocking off the Tigers for the first time since 2011.

NC State's performance in 2017 improved Doeren's national profile significantly, but he resisted overtures from other schools.

Although Tennessee is undoubtedly a higher-profile job than NC State, Doeren has gained a great deal of momentum with the Wolfpack, and he will stick around for a chance to make them true players in the ACC moving forward.