Philip Rivers Keeps NC State Door Open

RALEIGH, N.C. — The most talked-about name in NC State’s football coaching search is not ruling himself out. Philip Rivers, the former Wolfpack quarterback now coaching high school ball in Alabama, said after his team’s game Friday night that there is nothing in place yet but that he would never say never.

The job opened Oct. 24, when NC State fired Dave Doeren seven games into his 14th season. Doeren leaves as the winningest coach in program history, and Rivers went out of his way to praise what Doeren built over that span.

The school has framed the search as a national one. In a letter signed by Chancellor Kevin Howell and athletic director Boo Corrigan, NC State said Corrigan will run it, with two former Wolfpack players advising him: Bill Cowher, the longtime NFL coach, and Dewayne Washington. The letter promised the money, facilities and NIL support needed to compete, but set no timeline. The program also let go of its general manager, Andy Vaughn, and its defensive coordinator, DJ Eliot, so the next head coach will fill key staff roles from scratch. Todd Goebbel is coaching the team on an interim basis.

The connections to Rivers run deep. He was the ACC player of the year in 2003, his No. 17 is retired at NC State, and he threw for 13,484 yards and 95 touchdowns in four seasons from 2000 to 2003 before an 18-year NFL career with 63,984 passing yards and 425 touchdowns. His son, a four-star quarterback in the 2027 class, committed to the Wolfpack in February.

Rivers has built a winner in Fairhope, Alabama, going 48-20 in six seasons at St. Michael Catholic with back-to-back trips to the Class 4A state semifinals. His team lost 53-32 to Foley on Friday, ending a six-game winning streak, and begins the state playoffs next week. He interviewed for the Buffalo Bills head coaching job in January.

The remaining Wolfpack schedule includes Duke, Syracuse, a trip to Florida State and the regular-season finale at North Carolina.

Filed under: Raleigh NC Sports News