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Trent Dilfer warned Philip Rivers about accepting the NC State coaching job.
Philip Rivers could very well be the next head football coach at North Carolina State University. The former Wolfpack quarterback was immediately linked to the NC State coaching search following the firing of Dave Doeren.
Trent Dilfer offered up a warning to Rivers with a potential decision looming. In doing so, he took a subtle swipe at his former employer.
Dilfer was a high school football coach at Lipscomb Academy before making the jump to the college ranks. He accepted the head coaching job at UAB in 2022. He lasted less than three seasons before being fired.
The Blazers went 9-21 under Dilfer’s guidance. Win totals decreased with each season. He was canned after a 2-4 start to the 2023 campaign.
Afterwards, he blamed the university’s administration for not caring about success.
“College football broke me. Just the losing, developing players. Like we had 14 players that we recruited, I recruited, we developed… you play them, and then they go to Ole Miss and Arkansas and Alabama and everywhere else,” he said in an interview with Outkick.
Dilfer does not believe UAB cared about winning. There was no investment made in recruiting. Top players were immediately poached by rival schools for bigger NIL deals. The Blazers refused to play the game.
“(I was) Working with people that didn’t see winning like I did,” Dilfer he continued. “The one thing that’s great about Lipscomb is that they care about winning as much as I do. They are invested.”
Dilfer has since been hired back by Lipscomb Academy. He sent a warning to Philip Rivers about taking a new job.
Philip Rivers is a top candidate in the NC State coaching search.
Like Dilfer, he is currently coaching at the high school level. Rivers is at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama. His son, Gunner, is the quarterback.
Gunner Rivers committed to NC State in February. He will follow in his dad’s footsteps.
Philip Rivers played for the Wolfpack between 2000-2003. He was named conference player of the year as a senior. He is the ACC’s all-time leading passer.
Rivers was a Day 1 starter upon stepping foot on campus. He went 34-17 across four seasons, making four bowl games. The Wolfpack won 11 games in his junior year. That remains the program’s last double digit win season.
Given his ties to the university and his success coaching in high school, a reunion is on the table. It would give him an opportunity to continue coaching his son in college. The buzz is real.
His son is enrolling in January. Beyond that is money. Doeren was fired now with home attendance in mind. Rivers could ignite donor support & help drive revenue which is the name of the game in 2026. He has no college coaching experience but could hire a strong staff.
— Pat Welter WRAL (@PatrickWelter) October 25, 2026
Photographs of Rivers were posted by the school’s top athletic donor shortly after Doeren’s firing. Those images are notable as they suggest he’ll have the backing of NC State’s money men if hired as a replacement.
Dilfer says that support is pertinent. He urged Rivers to consider his options before accepting a new role.
Trent Dilfer sends warning to Philip Rivers.
“It was frustrating more than hard,” Dilfer said about coaching at UAB in a chat with USA Today Sports. “It was frustrating to know what a good team looks like, and to see what a good team costs, and know you couldn’t do it. I would tell (Rivers), do not take a job unless they’re committed.”
It was both advice for Rivers and a slight to UAB. He cannot express enough the lack of commitment in Birmingham.
In the current landscape of college football, an investment must be made. That involves administration providing the resources to compete and donors opening up their checkbooks to land and retain top contributors.
Dave Doeren’s downfall in the 2026 season can be directly linked to attrition. The Wolfpack lost three players to SEC schools via the transfer portal, including future first-round pick Jacarrius Peak. Two others transferred to the Big Ten.
NC State was unable to compete with NIL offers. They are now 3-4 as a result. Doeren was unable to survive.
According to a recent report released by The Athletic, the Wolfpack rank 32nd among Power 4 schools in NIL spending. Their current roster is valued at $22-25 million. That’s about middle of the pack both nationally and in the ACC.
With others paying upwards of $50 million on their lineups, it’s difficult to both recruit and develop talent. Top high school prospects will choose the bigger schools. The best players on this year’s roster will bolt for better deals next offseason.
Dilfer says it’s something Philip Rivers must evaluate before taking the NC State job, if offered. If the school refuses to pony up, Rivers should stay put.