New Playbook

By Jack Daly ’01

Somewhere along the way, Robert Anae’s relationship with his playbook changed. “As a younger coach, you just think everything’s easy,” says Anae, a veteran Division I college football coach who’s in his first year as NC State’s offensive coordinator. “I had my giant playbook and flopped it on the table: ‘Everybody, do that.’

“But those offenses are not as dynamic and as fluid as the offenses that I am able to be a part of currently because I have grown and learned to adjust schemes and players and put them in a better position to succeed.”

NC State hopes to benefit from Anae’s malleable approach and accumulated wisdom from his 36-year coaching career.

Anae was named the Wolfpack’s offensive coordinator after the 2022 season. His last two coaching stints were in the ACC: Syracuse in 2022 and Virginia from 2016–21. Prior stops include BYU, Arizona, Texas Tech and Hawaii.

Anae has friends on the Wolfpack coaching staff — Ruffin McNeil, Tony Gibson, Brian Mitchell, to name three — and was quickly impressed by NC State’s football program. “Other places I’ve been, you can tell there are cracks in the wall and holes in the dam, so to speak,” he says. “This one, I’ve been impressed with the entire structure.

“I’m just hoping to do my part to convince a group of young men that we can do amazing things. It’s time to win a championship. I’d like to be a part of that.”