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Former NC State quarterback Philip Rivers attends the game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the NC State Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Will North Carolina State legend Philip Rivers be the next head coach of the Wolfpack? After several days of speculation, Rivers finally addressed the rumors on Friday night, and he didn’t shoot them down.
Rivers, who won the ACC Player of the Year for NC State in 2003 and had his number retired by the university, emerged as a leading candidate immediately following the firing of Dave Doeren last week.
He currently serves as the head coach at St. Michael Catholic in Alabama, where his son Gunnar – a four-star prospect and current Wolfpack commit – is the starting quarterback.
After St. Michael’s game on Friday night, Rivers spoke about the possibility of taking the job at his alma mater.
Philip Rivers Is Open To Taking North Carolina State Head Coaching Job
“I mean, shoot, NC State’s special to me. and, you know, Coach (Dave Doren, shoot, what he did over 14 years, and all-time winningest coach is a — ton of respect and appreciation, you know, for how he went about it with the university, and, you know, there’s nothing there at this point,” Rivers told AL.com reporter Ben Thomas.
“ No, you understand — like I told you earlier in the week — you understand the chatter is out there,” Rivers said. “Gotta take it one day at a time, you know, is all I know. I’m excited this postseason with these guys here, and I guess it’s like I told you last year, you know, you never say never, but there’s nothing imminent.”
St. Michael coach Philip Rivers on reports linking him to the head coaching job at his alma mater, N.C. State. https://t.co/VqK0E6hfZq
— Ben Thomas (@BenThomasPreps) October 31, 2026
“Nothing imminent. is a far cry from a “no.”
It appears that Trent Dilfer’s warning hasn’t scared Rivers off from coaching at the college level. Who knows how Rivers would handle coaching at that level? He’s experienced moderate success in his six seasons coaching high school football.
But we’d be lying if we said we weren’t interested in finding out.