Following several days of discussions, Philip Rivers is prepared to take the role of NC State’s new head football coach.
According to On3, the institution will be bringing on the former Wolfpack quarterback to assume the position at the conclusion of the season. NC State dismissed Dave Doeren after a 3-4 start to the 2026 season, which included a particularly troubling defeat against Vanderbilt.
Rivers, who is 44 years old, lacks collegiate coaching experience and is currently leading St. Michael Catholic High School in Alabama. His son, Gunner Rivers, serves as the quarterback for St. Michael. Gunner is a committed player to NC State and is a highly-regarded four-star recruit from the class of 2027.
NC State holds a 4-5 record following their loss to Duke in Week 10. For the Wolfpack to secure a bowl game, they need to triumph in two out of their remaining three matches under interim coach Todd Goebbel.
Doeren had been at the helm of NC State since 2013, guiding the team to eight seasons with eight or more wins. In 2025, the Wolfpack finished with an 8-5 record but encountered consecutive defeats against Wake Forest and Stanford prior to Doeren’s dismissal. In Week 3, quarterback CJ Bailey fumbled the ball in the NC State end zone while attempting to run down the clock for a victory, allowing Vanderbilt to recover and win the game 35-31.
Rivers played as a quarterback at NC State for four years from 2000 to 2003 before being selected as the No. 4 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. He was initially chosen by the Giants but was then traded to the Chargers due to Eli Manning’s decision to reject playing for San Diego.
Before his entry into the NFL, Rivers earned the title of ACC Player of the Year in 2003 and placed seventh in that year’s Heisman voting.
Rivers spent 16 years with the Chargers, concluding his full NFL career with the Indianapolis Colts in 2020. He was out of the league for four seasons before signing with the Colts at the close of the 2025 season in light of Daniel Jones’ Achilles injury. Rivers started in three games as the Colts made an effort to reach the playoffs; however, Indianapolis lost all three encounters and therefore missed the postseason.
