NC State head coach Dave Doeren announced Monday that Kevin Patrick is the new defensive line coach for the Wolfpack.
Patrick replaces Ryan Nielsen, who departed to take the defensive line position with the New Orleans Saints. Patrick previously coached at Texas Tech this past season, North Texas for two years and he had two stints with South Florida (1996-1998 and 2008-2013).
The 7-6 Wolfpack return every defensive lineman except senior reserve defensive tackle Monty Nelson.
"I've known Coach Doeren for some time and have always thought very highly of him," said Patrick in a released statement. "The coaching world is small and you get to know who the good people are. I'm excited about being a part of his program. On top of that, I'm so glad to have the opportunity to work with a coordinator like Hux [Dave Huxtable]. He's also highly thought of with a lot of people I've worked with.
“Coming to NC State is a great opportunity for me and my family and I'm really looking forward to getting to Raleigh and meeting the players."
Patrick has coached future NFL defensive linemen such as former first-round pick Jason Pierre-Paul of the New York Giants, defensive end Terrell McClain of the Dallas Cowboys and defensive end George Selvie, who played for six teams from 2010-to-2015. "I've known Kevin for a long time and I've always admired his intensity and his love of the game," Doeren said. "He has recruited, coached and developed some incredible defensive linemen in multiple conferences and he knows what it takes to be an All-American as a collegiate player and an All-Pro in the NFL. "Those qualities, along with his strong background as a recruiter in the southeast and his reputation as a tremendous family man, made him a premier target for this position when the opportunity came up. We look forward to having Kevin and his family as part of the Wolfpack."
Patrick was a star defensive end for Miami and earned a degree in business administration in 1994. The Hurricanes won the national title in both 1990 and 1992. He recorded 174 career tackles and 23 sacks, which ranks fifth in school history. He earned All-American honors, Big East defensive player of the year and team MVP after getting 10 sacks in 1993. Patrick was also inducted to the Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. He also tossed the shot put and threw the discus his last two years of college.
Patrick worked under former South Florida coaches Jim Leavitt and Skip Holtz during his two stints in Tampa. He coached the defensive ends from 1996-98 and 2008, the defensive line in 2009 and the defensive tackles from 2010-2013. USF finished among the NCAA's top-25 in total defense four times. The Bulls also ranked among the nation's top-25 three times in team tackles for a loss (2010, 2011 and 2013) and as high as fourth in total sacks (2011).
Patrick also has earned praise for his work on the recruiting trail at USF. Rivals.com named him one of the top 25 recruiters in the country and No. 1 in the Big East in 2009. He helped the Bulls sign four four-star prospects, including Pierre-Paul out of Fort Scott Community College in Kansas.
Patrick served as the defensive line coach at North Texas from 2014-2015, accumulating 33 sacks his first year and 19 his second. Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury hired Patrick for this past season. The 5-7 Red Raiders had 14 sacks and allowed 43.5 points per game this season.
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