RALEIGH — NC State continues to tinker with the coaching dynamic ahead of the 2026 football season, adding new faces to the mix. The program announced two new additions to the coaching staff, bringing in longtime coach Roc Bellantoni as a defensive analyst and Randy Floars as a graduate offensive assistant, a few weeks before the start of spring camp.
The addition of Bellantoni is the more substantial of the two. The Wolfpack is still transitioning to the scheme of DJ Eliot, the team’s defensive coordinator who took over before the 2025 season. Another experienced voice on the defensive side of the ball could go a long way in getting NC State back to its defensive-minded culture and identity that it played with through so much of the Dave Doeren era.
The impact of the new additions
Bellantoni joins the staff with a wealth of coaching experience, having been involved in the profession for 31 years. He will join the Wolfpack, working primarily with the team’s defensive line. The coaching organization for the defensive line already shifted quite a bit, as defensive line coach Charley Wiles shifted into a recruiting-focused role and the team will run the position group by committee.
Throughout his entire career, Bellantoni coached either defensive linemen or outside linebackers, making him something of an expert in handling the edge rushing positions. He most recently served as the outside linebacker coach for Auburn, but made stops all over the country, including a stint with Drake, hence the Dave Doeren connection.
The crowning achievements of Bellantoni’s career both came while coaching defensive linemen. Under his tutelage at Florida Atlantic, Trey Hendrickson began to emerge as a potential standout player. Obviously, since working with the veteran coach, Hendrickson has gone on to become one of the NFL’s most effective pass rushers…