N.C. State finalizes deal to make Philip Rivers new head coach

The N.C. State Wolfpack are finalizing a deal with N.C. State quarterback Philip Rivers to be their next head coach, according to Noah Fleischman of On3. Rivers will replace recently fired 13-year head coach Dave Doeren after this season. It's a bizarre turn of events for the Wolfpack. Collegiate te

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The N.C. State Wolfpack are finalizing a deal with N.C. State quarterback Philip Rivers to be their next head coach, according to Noah Fleischman of On3. Rivers will replace recently fired 13-year head coach Dave Doeren after this season.

It's a bizarre turn of events for the Wolfpack. Collegiate teams, especially Power 4 teams, seldom hire head coaches with no collegiate coaching experience. Arizona State infamously hired Herm Edwards in 2017, nine years after his last season with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2008. However, Edwards had eight years of coaching in the NFL and was a defensive backs coach at San Jose State before he was hired by Arizona. Rivers only has experience at the high school level. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

Rivers is currently the head coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Alabama, where he's coached the Cardinals to a 44-16 record since he was hired in 2021. He was inspired to coach by his father, Stephen Rivers, who coached him in high school.

The Buffalo Bills interviewed him on Jan. 23, 2026, after they fired Sean McDermott. He withdrew his consideration on Jan. 26, and the Bills promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to be the head coach.

Now, though, Rivers will become the head coach of his alma mater. He was the quarterback of the Wolfpack from 2000-03, starting all four seasons and throwing for 13,484 yards, 95 touchdowns, and 34 interceptions. In his senior season, won the 2003 ACC Player of the Year and finished seventh in Heisman voting. He was selected fourth overall and traded to the Los Angeles Chargers on draft day, where he would have a career that spanned from 2004-20. He briefly resumed his playing career in 2025.

He takes over an N.C. State program that only missed three bowl games in Dave Doeren's tenure, but never got over 10 wins either. The last time N.C. State earned double-digit wins was in 2002, Rivers' junior season.

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