ATLANTA – Former NFL quarterback Philip Rivers has been a topic of conversation around college football over the past week amid the opening at NC State, after head coach Dave Doeren was fired last Saturday.
In the days leading up to athletic director Boo Corrigan deciding to make a move with the football program in Raleigh, the talk of Rivers being interested in the potential opening at his alma mater began to pick up within the industry.
On Friday night, the former NC State quarterback was walking his son Gunner Rivers onto the field in Fairhope, Alabama, for St. Michael Catholic’s senior night, where Philip has served as head coach for the past six seasons.
“There’s nothing there at this point,” Rivers told Ben Thomas on Friday night when asked about NC State opening. “You understand the chatter that is out there. Just gotta take it one day at a time is all I know. I’m excited about the postseason with these guys here.
“It’s like I told you last year, you never say never. But, there’s nothing imminent.”
But in Raleigh, NC State administrators and boosters have been putting together a plan in hopes of luring Rivers to the sidelines in college football.
As OutKick has previously reported, and confirmed On3‘s Friday report, Wolfpack donors have been discussing the ways in which they could raise the money needed from an NIL perspective to have NC State more competitive in luring talent to Raleigh, with recent talks also focused on if Philip Rivers were to be hired as the next head coach.
These conversations have involved the former NFL quarterback’s representation, while also gauging the temperature of those within the Wolfpack donor base if they were to officially offer Rivers the job.
At this point, Philip has made it clear he is focused on making sure his team, St. Michael Catholic, was prepared for its regular season finale on Friday night and the upcoming high school playoffs that are set to start next week in Alabama.
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Rivers will coach St. Michael Catholic next week against Glenwood, with many expecting them to win, which would then lead to another game the following week in the playoff format.
From a fan perspective, it’s obvious that the Wolfpack would be making a hire that would excite the base, and more importantly help sell tickets and also lead to an influx of donations needed for NIL purposes to compete for an ACC title, and potentially a spot in an expanded college football playoff.
But, you also have to be able to raise enough money to compete, as now former head coach Dave Doeren mentioned this past week during a press conference to reflect on his tenure in Raleigh.
“The resources need to match the expectations,” Doeren mentioned. “I hope for NC State this commitment to football really happens. I pray for the next head coach that he has the opportunity. It’s not the way it used to be.”
Multiple people along the Gulf Coast in Alabama have mentioned to OutKick that they are hopeful that Rivers would take the job if formally offered by NC State, given how highly regarded he is within the community along Mobile Bay.
In speaking with sources close to the situation, NC State is comfortable with the fact that Rivers would be a first-time college football head coach, especially if he puts together the right staff to come with him.
Also, his son Gunner is committed to the Wolfpack, and will enroll next year as a freshman quarterback in Raleigh.
Could all the stars be aligning for NC State to bring their former quarterback home to lead the football program?
Just last week, NC State alum and donor Dr. Andy Albright made it a point to post on social media that he had Rivers with him on his private jet that is decked out in Wolfpack colors.
That could possibly be decided within the next week or two, though Rivers is focused on his high school job at the moment.
As for this era in college football, it would be a risky, but splashy, hire for NC State, and much different than UAB hiring Trent Dilfer from the high school ranks in 2022.
One of the problems for Dilfer was that the former Super Bowl champion could not garner enough support from the Birmingham community and Blazers donor base, mixed with questionable decision making by the UAB athletic department across multiple sports.
In Raleigh, Wolfpack athletic director Boo Corrigan brought in former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher earlier this week to help with the coaching search.
And while there have obviously been conversations around the prospect of potentially hiring Philip Rivers, NC State has been in communication with a number of agents who represent coaches within the sport to gauge their interest over the past few days.
Also, NC State needed to get this search underway as soon as they realized Dave Doeren was not going to be the guy to lead this program into 2027, thanks to ongoing negotiations with current players and having to put a plan together in order to attack the transfer portal.
It will be an interesting two months across the sport, with Maryland and Baylor also searching for a new head football coach after making their own moves in the past week.
The carousel has only just started, with a number of additional jobs potentially opening across the country over the next month.