NC State DC Tony Gibson reportedly signs new contract
NC State football reportedly signed Broyles Award nominee defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Tony Gibson to a new contract. Per Football Scoop, the Wolfpack assistant agreed to a deal worth $4.5 million over three seasons.
Gibson is in his fifth season coaching at NC State, his fourth as the sole defensive coordinator, and he has elevated the program’s defense to one of the top units in the ACC. He was the highest-paid defensive coordinator in the conference this season, and this raise puts him squarely among the nation’s top assistant coaches.
After earning $1.3 million this year, per USA Today, the Pack defensive coordinator put together another winning product despite having to replace six starters on his side of the ball.
“My expectation is to be better than we were a year ago,” Gibson told TheWolfpacker.com prior to the 2023 season. “You never want to go backwards in this game. And I think that we’ve built our roster up, and I don’t expect anything but it’d be better.”
NC State allowed 20.2 points per game during the 2023 season, which ranked No. 5 in the ACC. That average fell to 15.4 over the course of the Pack’s 5-game winning streak to wrap up the year. NC State boasted the No. 3 rushing defense in the conference at 104.8 yards allowed per game and also led the ACC with 17 interceptions.
The Wolfpack defense also forced 11 fumbles and recorded 33 sacks, ranking No. 5 in the league in both categories.
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Based on USA Today’s 2023 coaching salaries chart, Gibson would climb from the No. 28 highest-paid assistant to a tie for No. 18, earning $1.5 million per year. Florida State defensive coordinator Adam Fuller is the next-closest ACC coach on the list. He earned $1.2 million this year and also received a raise following the regular season, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Clemson offensive coordinator Garrett Riley was the highest-paid assistant coach in the nation at over $2 million per year, and he is the only ACC assistant above Gibson on the 2023 salary list.
For the fourth consecutive year, NC State’s defensive staff appears ready to stay intact. Gibson’s team of assistants — defensive line coach Charley Wiles, cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchell, safeties coach Joe DeForest and nickels coach Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay— has been together since the 2020 campaign.
Gibson’s new contract is the first Wolfpack raise/extension reported following the conclusion of the 2023 season. Earlier this fall, the NC State defensive coordinator was reportedly in the running for the Duke head coaching position, per The Athletic.
