NC State has been in flux since the firing of their former coach, Dave Doeren, after their fourth defeat of the season, a 31-28 road game loss against Stanford. As their hunt for a new coach began, NC State alumnus and former NFL quarterback Philip Rivers quickly became the top candidate for the job.
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On November 11, the university formally reached out to Rivers with an agreement. According to ABC11 reporter Travon Miles’s X post, Rivers is all set to return to NC State once the agreement is officially signed on November 13.
“He’s coming home,” Miles wrote. “Sources: Philip Rivers has agreed to an offer to become the next head football coach at NC State. Deal is expected to be finalized on Friday.”
Rivers’ recruitment as the new head coach of the NC State Wolfpack marks his second coaching gig, and comes after two stints in the NFL. Rivers played for the Wolfpack as quarterback for four seasons, from 2000 to 2003, before moving on to play in the league for a total of 18 seasons.
He was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft, but was traded to the San Diego Chargers the same day after Eli Manning made it clear that he would not play for the Chargers. Rivers remained with the team for 16 seasons, which included five playoff appearances, before eventually being released by the team at 38, after his struggles during the 2019 season left the Chargers with a 5-11 record.
The veteran quarterback signed a one-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts in 2020, and finished the season with an 11-5 record and an AFC Wildcard playoff loss against the Buffalo Bills. He decided to retire after that to follow his passion of coaching high school football at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama.
He briefly returned to play three games for the Colts in 2025 when quarterback Daniel Jones’ season-ending Achilles injury, coupled with injuries to backup QBs Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard, left the team with a severe lack of depth at quarterback. However, at 44, Rivers simply approached the opportunity as an unexpected “gift” rather than a chance at making a comeback, and retired permanently to focus on coaching.
In fact, Rivers’ 2025 return to the Colts and his still-impressive arm did not just stun Indianapolis but also contributed to the narrative that propelled him to the top of the NC State coaching discussion. Team sources pointed out to ESPN in December 2025 that Rivers had been throwing for five years during his time at St. Michael, where his son, Gunner Rivers, was also a coveted batch of 2027 quarterback. Interestingly, he is also an NC State commit, following it his father’s footsteps.
How Philip Rivers’ Son Feels About Him Becoming the Next NC State Head Coach
As a student of St. Michael Catholic High School, Gunner was used to training under his father and seems to love it. When asked how he felt about the possibility of being coached by Rivers at NC State, the 2027 commit admitted that he loved the dedication his father showed towards high school football, and was confident Rivers would be a hit at a collegiate or even league-level coaching.
“He’s the best coach you can have in high school football. I am a little biased, but I think he’s the best high school football coach there is,” Gunner said to Sports Illustrated on November 3. “He really could be a head coach or any coach in the NFL or college. But the fact that he wants to be here with the high school guys, we take what we can learn from that.”
With NC State finalizing the hire, Gunner’s instincts seemed to be right on point. Rivers’ promotion to the Wolfpack’s head coach gives the university an added advantage as well; with his father here, it seems unlikely that Gunner would decommit anytime soon.