Who is Philip Rivers?
Philip Rivers is a former NFL quarterback and a former NC State standout who now coaches the football team at St. Michael Catholic High in Fairhope, Alabama. A sports outlet reports he has risen to the top of NC State's head coaching search, though the school has not announced a hire.
Why it's in the news
NC State fired head football coach Dave Doeren on October 25, 2026, and the search for his successor has begun. A sports outlet reports that Philip Rivers, a former Wolfpack quarterback, has risen to the top of that search, though the school has not announced a hire.
- Coach — NC State fires football coach Dave Doeren; search for successor begins
Background
Philip Rivers played quarterback at NC State before a long career in the National Football League. CBS Sports describes him as a longtime NFL quarterback and an NC State legend. Since the 2021 season he has coached St. Michael Catholic High, a school in Fairhope, Alabama. His NFL career included a brief return to the Indianapolis Colts near the end of the 2025 season, and he interviewed for the Buffalo Bills' head coaching vacancy earlier in 2026.
Rivers's name is in the news because NC State fired head football coach Dave Doeren on Saturday, October 25, 2026, in the middle of his 14th season. The Wolfpack had lost at Stanford and stood at 3-4. Doeren was the school's all-time leader in victories, with 98 wins in his 13-plus seasons in Raleigh. On Tuesday he gave his first public remarks since the firing, thanking people in the program and saying the school's resources must match its expectations, especially given name, image and likeness payments and the transfer portal.
Industry sources say Rivers has moved to the top of the Wolfpack's search. Hiring him would be unconventional, since he has no college coaching experience. The school has not announced a hire. Sources also state that Rivers's son Gunner, a four-star quarterback, is committed to NC State for 2027.
What people are asking
Who is Philip Rivers?
Philip Rivers is a former NC State quarterback and longtime NFL quarterback who now coaches St. Michael Catholic High in Fairhope, Alabama.
Is Philip Rivers coaching NC State?
Not as of the sources reviewed. A sports outlet reports he has risen to the top of NC State's search for a new head coach, but the school has not announced a hire.
Why is Philip Rivers in the news?
NC State fired football coach Dave Doeren in October 2026, and Rivers, a former NC State quarterback, has been reported as a leading candidate for the job.
Does Philip Rivers have a son at NC State?
Sources state that Rivers's son Gunner, a four-star quarterback, is committed to NC State for 2027.
Has Philip Rivers coached before?
He has coached St. Michael Catholic High since the 2021 season. He has no college coaching experience, according to CBS Sports. He interviewed for the Buffalo Bills' vacancy earlier in 2026.