RELEASE: Roper Named QBs Coach
RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State head coach Dave Doeren has announced that Kurt Roper, a 23-year veteran of the coaching ranks, has joined the Wolfpack staff and will mentor the quarterbacks. Roper comes to Raleigh after coaching that same position at Colorado last season.
Roper brings a wealth of experience, plus a familiarity with the Triangle area, to NC State, having served as an offensive coordinator for two SEC programs and another in the ACC.
"I'm excited to add a tremendous coach and person with great experience to our offensive staff," said Doeren. "Kurt is an incredible teacher and a true developer of players at the QB position. He's also a connected and highly respected recruiter who knows this region well."
"My family and I are thrilled about coming to NC State as a part of Coach Doeren's staff," said Roper. "Working for a great coach at a great university with an unbelievable fan base is a great opportunity and I can't wait to get started."
Roper spent 15 of his first 22 years of coaching in the SEC, beginning his career as a graduate assistant at Tennessee (1996-98) then coaching the quarterbacks at Ole Miss from 1999-2004 under head coach David Cutcliffe. He spent the 2005 season coaching that same position at Kentucky, then returned to UT from 2006-07 to coach the running backs.
In 2008, he rejoined Cutcliffe at Duke, where he served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach until 2013 before serving in that same position at Florida in 2014.
After spending the 2015 season as a senior offensive assistant with the Cleveland Browns, Roper went to South Carolina, where he was co-offensive coordinator quarterbacks coach for two years before heading to Colorado.
Roper tutored All-America signal-caller Eli Manning, the 2003 SEC Player of the Year and No. 1 overall pick of the 2004 NFL Draft, during his six-years as the quarterbacks coach at Ole Miss. After winning the Maxwell and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Awards in 2003, Manning has gone on to win two Super Bowls, was twice named the Super Bowl MVP and is a four-time Pro Bowl selection.
Another one of his quarterbacks, Thaddeus Lewis, spent six years in the NFL after a record-breaking career in Roper's offense at Duke. Lewis finished his career as Duke's all-time leader in pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns. He joined the Wolfpack's Philip Rivers as just the second player in ACC history to throw for over 10,000 yards.
In Roper's last year at Duke, the Blue Devils enjoyed a record-setting campaign as they won a program-best 10 games en route to capturing the ACC's Coastal Division championship. His offense set the school record for total touchdowns (60), while becoming the first squad in Blue Devil history to post 20+ rushing and 20+ passing TDs in the same season.
Also under Roper's guidance, Anthony Boone finished his career as the winningest quarterback in Duke history with 19 victories, Brandon Connette became Duke's all-time leader in rushing touchdowns, while wide receiver Jamison Crowder established school single-season records for receptions (108) and receiving yards (1,301).
At Kentucky, he coached Kentucky Andre' Woodson, who went on to be a sixth round draft pick of the New York Giants.
An Ames, Iowa, native, Roper was a three-year letterman as a quarterback and defensive back at Rice from 1992-94. He earned a bachelor's degree from Rice in 1995 and a master's degree from Tennessee in 1998.
Roper and his wife, Britt, have one daughter, Reese, and one son, Luke. His brother, Zac, is the deputy head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Duke.