Philip Rivers Returns Home As NC State's Next Head Coach
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The decision comes nearly three weeks after the abrupt firing of Dave Doeren, who slowly became the winningest coach in school history during his long tenure.
The leaders in charge sought a drastic overhaul after enduring a tenure that was slightly better than average over the last 14 seasons.
State’s search seemingly narrowed in on Rivers fairly early in the process, and while there’s no shortage of qualified candidates capable of doing the job, none will inspire the fan base like Philip Rivers.
He’s one of their own.
Back where it all started.
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) November 13, 2026
Welcome home, Philip Rivers!
🔗: https://t.co/7VW0WEUfJl pic.twitter.com/mNOblxaVfM
Impressive Statistics
Rivers was the quarterback directly responsible for delivering the school’s only 11-win season. During his four seasons as quarterback for the Wolfpack (2000-2003), Rivers led the ACC and NCAA in most major passing categories, including total yards in each of his last two seasons (ACC).
Rivers threw for 4,491 yards with an NCAA-leading 72.0% completion percentage in 2003. He earned ACC Offensive Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year awards in 2003.
He is the owner of many school and ACC records and set an NCAA record with 51 consecutive starts at quarterback.
Rivers led the Wolfpack to a 34-17 record and was 3-1 in bowl games under the late head coach Chuck Amato. State never saw a losing season with Rivers at quarterback.
Most importantly, Rivers had his number 17 jersey retired in 2003 and saw his name lifted to Carter-Finley Stadium’s ring of honor in 2013.
NC State football has a chance to do the wildest thing ever if Philip Rivers is hired…
— DRE (@Cherry_Pickin) October 30, 2026
🧑🏾💻: https://t.co/zeaHSwqSTq pic.twitter.com/EVYMZLMPN2
NC State Goes Against The Grain
Russell Wilson made a Hail Mary attempt to insert himself as one of the candidates, but it feels unlikely that he was ever seriously considered for the job.
However, the university’s decision to go through with the interview signaled that it was looking outside the box for this next hire.
It’s easy to point out Rivers’ noticeable lack of college coaching background, but his depth of playing experience & success at the highest level of the sport make Rivers an intriguing hire.
It’s not as if Rivers is getting plucked from the announcer’s booth or some cushy studio job (sorry, Russ); his NFL career spanned 18 seasons while also diving into high school coaching at the tail end of his playing days.
At this point in his life, Rivers has probably spent more years immersed in football than not. So it’ll be interesting to see if Rivers can distill all that knowledge to help him be effective in his new role.
Considering how low the program sank this season, why shouldn’t NC State shake things up and bring home one of its most beloved players in school history to usher in a new era of Wolfpack football?
In this new world, a hire such as this one should signal to fans that the university is prepared to spend money. A Philip Rivers hiring doesn’t make sense unless NC State is willing to allocate the necessary resources to make his life easier.
Look for Rivers to target some of the top assistants to help him rebuild this program, including former Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chip Long.
NC State won the day; only time will tell if Coach Rivers will be a winner too.
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Andre Cherry began covering college football in 2010 through his CherryPickin podcast network. Andre originally hails from Chicagoland and is a proud Illinois State alum. He has lived in Philadelphia since 2014 and has previously covered Temple Football. Andre has a broadcast journalism background and got his start in media at WSCR the Score. He’s written for Fox Sports, Bridgehead Media, cinéSPEAK Journal, and IPMF.
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