The former Wolfpack quarterback and current high school coach says "you never say never" about the vacancy left by Dave Doeren's firing.
Philip Rivers, the NC State legend whose No. 17 is retired by the school, is no longer brushing off questions about becoming the Wolfpack's next head coach. Asked Friday, Oct. 30 after his high school team's game about reports linking him to the job, Rivers didn't deny interest, saying "you never say never."
NC State fired Dave Doeren on Oct. 24, seven games into his 14th season with the program, and Rivers' name attached itself to the search almost immediately. He was the 2003 ACC player of the year in Raleigh before a long NFL career, and he's now the head coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama, a job he's held since 2021. He has never coached at the college level.
Sources told ESPN that Rivers has engaged in serious discussions with NC State about the position, though a deal isn't close. Rivers himself has called nothing imminent. Adding another layer, his son Gunner is a quarterback already committed to play for the Wolfpack.
The search remains ongoing, with Rivers described by some reports as the focus of NC State's efforts to fill the vacancy.