Even though he’s leaving, Tony Gibson won’t be gone from Morgantown for very long.
The former West Virginia defensive coordinator was hired by NC State on Sunday as co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach.
“I would like to thank coach Dave Doeren and the administration at North Carolina State University for giving me the opportunity to join this great coaching staff,” Gibson said in an official NC State release. “I have admired the accomplishments that Coach Doeren and his staff have achieved in the ACC as well as the rich tradition of NC State for years, and I am truly excited to be a part of the mission of bringing a championship to Raleigh.”
Gibson also thanked West Virginia on Twitter.
“It has been an incredible ride,” he wrote. “Being the DC at WVU has been an honor and I am indebted to each and every player that I coached and the great State of West Virginia.”
THANK YOU Mountaineer Nation – it has been an incredible ride. Being the DC at WVU has been an honor and I am indebted to each and every player that I coached and the great State of West Virginia. I Love and will miss my DAWGS! Excited for my new journey at NC State.
— Tony Gibson (@CoachTonyGibson) January 14, 2019
Coincidentally or not, NC State visits West Virginia in Week 3 next season.
Fueled by support from current and former players, Gibson vied for the WVU head coaching position when Dana Holgorsen was hired by Houston. He was not retained by new head coach Neal Brown, who brought defensive coordinator Vic Koenning with him from Troy.
Gibson had served as West Virginia’s defensive coordinator since 2014. He joined Dana Holgorsen’s coaching staff the previous year as a safeties coach before earning the promotion. Gibson, a Boone County native, previously coached defensive backs for the Mountaineers under Rich Rodriguez from 2001-07.
Gibson will work alongside defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable with the Wolfpack. He fills the vacancy created when Ted Roof left after one season for Appalachian State, where former NC State offensive coordinator Eli Drinkwitz was hired as head coach.