N.C. State has reached an agreement with former Wolfpack and NFL quarterback Philip Rivers to become head coach, with that deal heading to university trustees for approval, a person with knowledge of the situation said.
Under school protocols, N.C. State’s board of trustees must formally approve any deal for it to become official. That board is scheduled to take up the matter Friday as part of a previously scheduled slate of meetings.
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The person spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity because N.C. State hasn’t publicly discussed specifics of its search.
Rivers is set to replace Dave Doeren, who was fired midway through his 14th season in a tenure that saw him set the program’s career wins mark yet prove unable to make a breakthrough leap to higher success.
That challenge would fall to Rivers, who has coached the past six seasons as head coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama. That included coaching his son, Gunner, a four-star quarterback prospect who committed to N.C. State in February.
Rivers has never been a coach in the college or professional ranks, though he interviewed for the Buffalo Bills’ head coaching job in January before removing himself from consideration.
Hiring the 44-year-old Rivers brings a buzz with his status as a beloved figure in Wolfpack athletics, with that affection remaining strong nearly two dozen years since Rivers took his last snap in his since-retired No. 17 jersey during a record-setting career.
Rivers had publicly acknowledged being in discussions with N.C. State about its open job, confirming that school officials visited Alabama in the days leading up to the start of the high school playoffs.
“We met and visited, I’ve known some of those guys for a while now,” Rivers said. “It was good to visit with them, but there’s really nothing else to report at this point.”
St. Michael’s season ended last Friday with a first-round loss to Glenwood despite Gunner’s return to the lineup after missing time with a knee injury. The elder Rivers said it was unclear whether it would also be his own St. Michael finale.
“If it were to be the last time out here, shoot, a lot was accomplished,” he told reporters afterward in reflecting about his tenure amid the uncertainty about what’s next, his voice quivering at one point with emotion. “Certainly if that were to be the case, it will be left better than it was six years ago.”
Rivers is now the headlining name in the Wolfpack’s effort to navigate the changing landscape of college athletics with increased player movement through the transfer portal and players being paid. There are also the broad financial pressures of schools trying to generate more revenue and keep up with one another, prompting Doeren to say after his ouster: “This is a great job, N.C. State. And this is also a very hard job.”
Rivers was a four-year star (2000-03) under the late Chuck Amato. He set Atlantic Coast Conference records for most career passing yards (13,484), completions (1,087) and attempts (1,710) while setting school records for most career passing TDs (95).
Then, after being the No. 4 overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft, Rivers went on to be an eight-time Pro Bowler who ranks in the top 10 in NFL history with nearly 64,000 passing yards to go with 425 touchdown throws. He played 16 seasons with the NFL’s San Diego and Los Angeles Chargers franchise, then played one year with the Indianapolis Colts before retiring after the 2020 season.
He had already lined up a job as the future head coach at St. Michael that August, effective at the close of his playing career. Yet there was one detour from the sideline last December when Rivers came out of retirement to rejoin the Colts due to multiple QB injuries.
The Colts signed him to the practice squad, then started him three games before he retired again and returned to St. Michael.
Now he’s heading back to Raleigh. ___
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