Philip Rivers is going back to school, and he's returning to a place where he became a college legend. N.C. State has reached an agreement with former Wolfpack and NFL quarterback Philip Rivers to become its new 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. 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, 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. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
