Philip Rivers is going back to school, and he’s returning to a place where he became a college legend.
The former NFL star quarterback has agreed to a deal to become NC State’s next head coach, The Athletic and On3 reported Sunday.
Rivers, who played 17 seasons in the NFL, is an NC State legend. The program retired his jersey number (17) in 2013, 10 years after he completed his four-year tenure as the Wolfpack’s starting quarterback. He threw for 13,484 yards with 95 touchdowns and 34 interceptions, finishing seventh in Heisman Trophy voting as a senior.
While Rivers has never coached at the college level, he has coaching experience. He’s coached at St. Michael Catholic High School in Alabama since his first NFL retirement in 2021. He resumed coaching at St. Michael Catholic University after his unretirement last year to briefly join the Indianapolis Colts.
Rivers replaces longtime NC State head coach Dave Doeren, who was fired in late October in the midst of his 14th season. At the time of his firing, Doeren was the fourth-longest-tenured coach in the FBS and leaves as the winningest coach in program history with a 95-70 record.
Rivers wasn’t the only former NFL quarterback who was a candidate for the job. Russell Willson, who also played at NC State, interviewed for the job earlier in November.
NC State’s decision to bring back Rivers also comes as his son, Gunner Rivers, is set to join the program. Gunner Rivers, a four-star quarterback, is part of the Wolfpack’s 2027 recruiting class, committing to join the program last year.
