Dave Doeren discusses the transition on NC State's offensive coaching staff

There have been plenty of changes on the NC State offensive coaching staff this offseason, and head coach Dave Doeren is eager to see how it plays out in spring practice. The Wolfpack hired a new offensive coordinator in Robert Anae after Tim Beck left to become the head coach at Coastal Carolina.

Anae brings 36 years of coaching experience, including previous stops as the offensive coordinator at Syracuse, Virginia and BYU. Along with offensive coordinator duties, he will also coach receivers and tight ends for NC State.

The Wolfpack also brought in Garett Tujague from Virginia to coach its offensive line after John Garrison left for Ole Miss. Previewing spring practice in a recent press conference, Doeren was highly complimentary of what both coaches bring to the table.

“It’s been great,” he said. “Coach Anae is exactly what I expected him to be. Very creative. Unique. You can see why he’s a tough guy to coach against. He knows his system and he also is open to learning things, evolving and getting to know his players. He spends a lot of time watching them, studying them on film.

“Coach Tujague’s brought great energy to the O-line. Coach Garrison did a great job here, so he walked into a room that loved their former coach. I think he’s done a really good job of building his own relationships and teaching them new things and adding to their repertoire and giving them new tools. I’m excited to see those guys this spring coach in action.”

New faces weren’t the only changes to NC State’s offensive coaching staff. The offseason also saw Kurt Roper move from coaching running backs to quarterbacks. Todd Goebbel, the special teams coordinator, will add running backs to his coaching duties as a result.

Roper has coached quarterbacks at various schools throughout his career, including at NC State in 2019 before moving to running backs. Goebbel also brings a wealth of experience across different positions that gives Doeren confidence he can handle his new role.

“I’ve seen coach Roper in the quarterback room prior and that’s been most of his career,” Doeren said. “So he brings a lot of experience as a teacher to that room. Coach Goebbel’s coached everything but O-line. If you look at his resume you’ll see that he’s coached about everywhere.

“Being on special teams, he’s got really good relationships already with our running backs. He’s coached those guys in that area for our entire career. He’ll bring a lot of toughness to that group. I know that he’ll be demanding. I’m excited to see what he can do to help those guys continue to grow. He’s a really good motivator. So time will tell, but all the signs are pointing in a positive direction here. The unity of that staff has been excellent.”

NC State is coming off of an 8-5 finish in 2022 and ranked No. 11 in the ACC in total offense with 339.8 yards per game. With the changes to their staff, the Wolfpack will hope to improve that number next season.