NC State athletic director Boo Corrigan has named former Wolfpack quarterback Philip Rivers the head coach of the football program, the school announced Friday. The ACC’s all-time leading passer returns to his alma mater on a five-year agreement to lead the Wolfpack into its next era.
“Philip Rivers is one of one and the right person to lead NC State Football into its next era,” Corrigan said. “His accomplishments as a player at the collegiate and professional levels speak for themselves. But throughout this search process, what stood out to me most was his exceptional leadership ability, his character, the way he connects with people and his vision for this program. He is someone who is deeply respected and beloved by Wolfpack Nation, and I couldn’t be more proud that he will be the one leading our football program.”
Rivers on the Hire
“I am humbled and honored to be the next head football coach at NC State University,” Rivers said. “In many ways, I feel like I’m coming home. This is where it all began for me as an 18-year-old kid from Alabama, and now to return to this great place as head coach is beyond words.
“I gave it everything I had here as a player for 51 games and I will give it everything I have as the coach. There’s no denying that this is going to take hard work, but we’re not scared of hard. I look forward to getting after it every single day with an unbelievable coaching staff and a group of players who are dedicated to relentlessly pursuing victory.”
NC State Chancellor Kevin Howell added: “Philip Rivers is the perfect leader for this era in college football. Philip is a winner who embraces the high expectations we have for NC State Football. He has proven his ability to develop student-athletes and possesses the grit, integrity and vision to lead our program to championships.”
High School Coaching Success
From 2021-26, Rivers served as head coach at St. Michael’s Catholic High School in Fairhope, Ala. He inherited a program that had gone 0-18 in region play and led it to the playoffs in four of six seasons, including state semifinals in 2024 and 2025. His teams finished 48-20 overall.
This marks Rivers’ first college coaching job. He interviewed for the Buffalo Bills’ head coaching vacancy earlier this year before the team hired Joe Brady. His son, four-star 2027 quarterback Gunner Rivers, is committed to NC State.
Context of the Hire
Rivers replaces Dave Doeren, who was fired on Oct. 24 after 14 seasons as the program’s all-time winningest coach (98-74). The move came one day after a 31-28 loss at Stanford dropped the Wolfpack to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the ACC. Running backs coach and special teams coordinator Todd Goebbel has served as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2026 season.
The hire is one of the more unconventional moves in the current Power Four coaching carousel: a Hall of Fame-caliber former player and high school head coach with no prior college coaching experience, selected largely on program ties, leadership reputation, and perceived fit in the modern player-acquisition era. Russell Wilson, another former NC State quarterback, also interviewed during the search.
Rivers, a 2013 NC State Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, returns with deep family roots in the area and a stated vision for hard work and relentless pursuit of victory. Attention now turns to staff assembly.
Multiple local reports note the contract is 5 years at $3.25 million per year; an amount that is far below market for a Power 4 head coach, allowing the Pack to pour more financial resources into players.