Former Sooners assistant Ruffin McNeill will be coaching in North Carolina once again.
N.C. State announced Tuesday that McNeill has been hired as special assistant to the head coach.
Welcome to the family, @RuffinMcNeill !!
Read more: https://t.co/KYfUfGslei#HTT pic.twitter.com/zkYQeLJyKE
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) July 7, 2020
“Having a former head coach on our staff who I can trust and have known for almost my entire career is a huge benefit for me personally, as well as for our entire program,” said N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren in a press release.
Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley wasted no time showing love for his longtime mentor.
The best!!! https://t.co/5MAFBnzY10
— Lincoln Riley (@LincolnRiley) July 7, 2020
Besides the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Riley and McNeill have worked at the same program every year since 2003. Riley worked under McNeill at both Texas Tech and East Carolina.
Beginning in 2017, McNeill spent three years as OU’s assistant head coach. He stepped away following the 2019 season to return to his hometown and care for his father.
McNeill’s hometown of Lumberton, N.C. is less than 100 miles from N.C. State’s Raleigh campus.