NC State Gambles on Legend Philip Rivers as Head Coach
AI-generated image · US National Wire
The Wolfpack turn to former NFL Pro Bowler to energize donors and the roster, despite Rivers' lack of collegiate coaching experience.
NC State's board of regents has approved the hiring of former NFL Pro Bowler Philip Rivers as the football program's head coach, according to 247Sports. Rivers replaces Dave Doeren, who was fired after a Week 8 loss to Stanford and finished his tenure in Raleigh with a 98-73 record.
According to CBS Sports, the move is designed to combat program apathy and incentivize top boosters to increase financial investment for roster upgrades in the NIL era. While Rivers is a legend at NC State—having played from 2000 to 2003 under the late Chuck Amato—his coaching resume is slim. Beyond interviewing for the Buffalo Bills job last year, his only experience is coaching at St. Michael Catholic, a high school in Fairhope, Alabama, where he has served since 2021.
Rivers joins a trend of schools hiring former NFL stars with limited experience, a path CBS Sports notes has a mixed track record. Examples include Deion Sanders at Colorado and Jackson State, and Trent Dilfer, who was fired from UAB in 2025 after failing to maintain a winning streak and alienating local coaches. Other former stars in college coaching roles include Eddie George (Tennessee State/Bowling Green), Marshall Faulk (Southern), Michael Vick (Norfolk State), and DeSean Jackson (Delaware State).
Rivers will be tasked with elevating the Wolfpack to an ACC contender. He will be joined in Raleigh by his son, four-star quarterback Gunner Rivers, who remains committed to the program.