12/4/2019 football Edit

NC State promotes Tony Gibson to defensive coordinator

Matt Carter • TheWolfpackCentral

Editor

NC State football coach Dave Doeren announced Wednesday afternoon that Tony Gibson will replace Dave Huxtable as NC State’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Gibson spent this past season as the Pack’s co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach.

"I look forward to building our defense with Tony Gibson as the leader," Doeren said in a prepared statement. "He has a strong vision for what we need to do on defense and his knowledge of our personnel and recruits will help us design the structure of our defense around our talent."

"I'm very honored and excited to be named the defensive coordinator," Gibson added. "I look forward to helping continue the growth of these young men and to be a part of a great staff here at NC State."

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Gibson was NC State's co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach in 2019. (Ken Martin/The Wolfpacker)

Gibson’s promotion has logic behind it. He is long-established in the nuances of the 3-3-5 defensive formation that NC State switched to in 2019, and he also is knowledgeable of the Pack’s personnel.

Prior to coming to NC State, Gibson was a defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for five years at West Virginia. In 2016, he was named the Big 12 Defensive Coordinator of the Year by Athlon.

Grading defenses in the Big 12 has to be done on a curve, but Gibson’s Mountaineers units ranked fifth in total defense in the 10-team conference in 2018, eighth in 2017, third in 2016, second in 2015 and sixth in 2014.

In 2018, West Virginia’s defense held eight of 11 regular-season opponents to less than their season scoring averages.

The 23-year coaching veteran has spent most of his tenure in his home state of West Virginia. His first major break came in 2001 when he was hired by Rich Rodriguez as the defensive backs coach at West Virginia.

In 2008, he went with Rodriguez for a three-year stint at Michigan as its assistant head coach, defensive backs mentor and special teams coordinator. After coaching a year at Pittsburgh in 2011 as its secondary coach and pass-game coordinator, he rejoined Rodriguez’s staff, this time in Arizona as an assistant head coach/safeties coach/defensive special teams coordinator.

One year later, he was back in West Virginia as its safeties coach before being promoted in 2014 to defensive coordinator and moving to coach linebackers. The Mountaineers ranked 18th in the country in interceptions with an average of 1.25 picks per game (12 in 15 contests) in 2013.

On the recruiting trail, Gibson was known for his strong ties in the Pittsburgh region for WVU and Pitt. In his one year for the Panthers, he was credited as the lead recruiter for four-star running back Rushel Shell, who was rated the No. 55 player nationally in the 2012 class. While at Michigan, he was the lead recruiter for eventual record-setting quarterback Denard Robinson.

Street & Smith's named Gibson one of the nation's "hottest recruiters" in 2018.

NC State will still be seeking another assistant coach, presumably to coach safeties.