IMHO this was probably a wise decision for NC State. Kellie over three years has proven that she can't recruit at the level of Duke or UNC. If NC State has any chance of getting in the Top 4/5 of the ACC, they have to win a couple of the recruiting wars against Duke & UNC. Last year, NC State did not have a recruiting class ranked in the Top 25 and 7 other ACC teams did.
Now the question is, the can hire a Coach that will be able to win a couple of the recruiting wars. If I'm NC State I go after Rick Insell of MTSU who has proven he can win and has the AAU contacts that should enable him to be successful in recruiting. If you can't get him go after one of his children. Matt is an assistant coach at Kentucky and might be the best choice after his father.