RALEIGH — NC State has turned to one of the program’s best and most highly regarded players to lead its football team.
NC State officially named former quarterback Philip Rivers as head coach Friday after his contract was approved by the university’s Board of Trustees.
Rivers will be formally introduced at a press conference Monday afternoon. He signed a five-year contract worth $3.25 million annually, according to a source.
“His love for this university became evident three years ago when I met him,” said NC State athletic director Boo Corrigan. “It just kept growing. He’s really excited about this opportunity. It’s part of our DNA and who we are and ‘tough, tough, together’ comes from one of his speeches. ‘Wolfpack is not for soft people.’ I think he understands who we are, what our fan base is and who our alumni are. »
Rivers, 44, replaced Dave Doeren, the school’s all-time winningest coach, who was fired Oct. 24, seven games into Raleigh’s 14th season.
“I gave everything I had here as a player for 51 games and I will give everything I have as a coach,” Rivers said in a statement. “There’s no denying it’s going to take a lot of work, but we’re not afraid to work hard. I look forward to getting there every day with an incredible staff and a group of players who are relentlessly dedicated to winning.”
North Carolina State Chancellor Kevin Howell, who takes over as chancellor in 2025, flashed a big smile and gave a thumbs-up when WRAL asked him Thursday why Rivers was the right choice to lead the Wolfpack football program.
After Friday’s vote, board Chairman Ed Stack said, “It’s exciting to really be able to take NC State football to the next level. Philip is a longtime son of this university. We’re thrilled to have him.”
Rivers started 51 consecutive games for the Wolfpack from 2000 to 2003, led the ACC in his final two seasons and was the league’s player of the year as a senior. Rivers was the fourth overall pick in the NFL Draft and played 18 seasons with the Chargers and Colts, throwing for nearly 64,000 yards.
He spent the last six seasons as the head coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama, although he came out of retirement in 2025 to start three games for the injury-depleted Colts. Rivers interviewed with the Buffalo Bills for their head coaching position this offseason before stepping down.
Rivers quickly became the favorite to replace Doeren, who won 98 games as NC State’s head coach but never led the Wolfpack to a 10-win season or an appearance in the ACC championship game. NC State hasn’t won a conference title in football since 1979.
Now it’s up to Rivers to move the agenda forward — and he’ll have to go against history to do it. The list of coaches without college experience hired to lead powerhouse programs is short. The list of achievements is even shorter.
Rivers’ son Gunner, a four-star quarterback, will be a freshman for NC State next season after committing in February. Gunner Rivers injured his right leg in the season opener and missed most of his senior season. Gunner Rivers returned for the first round of the state playoffs and played well in a 42-35 loss.
Philip Rivers met with NC State athletic director Boo Corrigan and others from the university two days before the playoff game at Alabama. After the game, he became emotional when asked what he had built at St. Michael.
“It’s been good, it’s been good,” said Rivers, who led the program to back-to-back state semifinals in 2024 and 2025. “We didn’t have a stadium a few years ago. So it’s been good so far. And if this was the last time here, shooting, a lot has been accomplished. Certainly, if it was, it would be better than six years ago.”
Howell and Corrigan, who led the research, said they believed it was the right time to open “a new chapter, with new leadership and renewed energy to elevate” the program. This is the first football hire for both at NC State.
Rivers’ hiring could provide a financial boost to the NC State program with eager fans, donors and sponsors opening their wallets to support Wolfpack football. Doeren, in his farewell speech, said more investment is needed for NC State football to achieve its goals.
“For this program to become what is desired and expected, the resources must match the expectations, and that is the reality of college athletics,” Doeren said. “My hope for NC State is that this commitment to football comes to fruition.”
Howell and Corrigan said they are “fully committed” to providing the program with what it needs.
“We believe NC State will compete at an elite level, contend for ACC championships and be positioned for the College Football Playoff year after year,” Howell and Corrigan wrote in a letter to Wolfpack Club members and administrators. “Together, we are fully committed to providing the financial investment, infrastructure and NIL (name, image and likeness) support needed to compete in this new landscape. »
NC State paid between $22 million and $26 million for its football roster this season, exactly the ACC conference average, according to The Athletic. That’s well below Miami, by far the league’s biggest spender, but also below what Clemson, Virginia Tech and Florida State spend. What’s more troubling for NC State is that it lost to Stanford, Wake Forest and Duke — three of the four lowest-spending football teams in the conference.
The College Football Playoff is expanding from its current 12-team format to 24 teams in 2027, creating greater access to many more programs. NC State has never finished a season ranked in the top 10 in the Associated Press poll. He finished the season ranked in three of Rivers’ four seasons, but has only done so four times in the two decades since his departure.
NC State is 4-5 this season. The Wolfpack, led by interim coach Todd Goebbel, has three regular-season games remaining, including Saturday’s home finale against Syracuse.
Former NC State offensive lineman Scott Kooistra, who played alongside Rivers for three seasons, told WRAL he thought his former teammate would be a success. Rivers’ father, Steve, was a longtime high school coach in north Alabama and, during Rivers’ playing days at NC State, at Wakefield High in Raleigh.
“He really has an eye for talent,” Kooistra said of Philip Rivers. “He’s been around football enough to know that this kid can do this, this kid can’t do that. He’s been there his whole life. He’s a grinder, he’s a worker, and I think he’s going to be great.”
Rivers has already earned the respect of future rivals in the Triangle through his playing years. Rivers’ NFL career overlapped with North Carolina coach Bill Belichick’s dynastic run with the New England Patriots. Belichick went 8-1 against Rivers in the NFL, including 3-0 in the playoffs.
“Fantastic. Great competitor. Tough,” Belichick said when describing Rivers as a player. “One of the toughest guys we’ve ever played against.”
Duke coach Manny Diaz was an assistant at NC State when Rivers was a player. The Wolfpack went a program-best 11-3 in 2002.
“Philip was and still is a great competitor,” Diaz said. “When you’re a quarterback, you have a chance to inspire everyone on offense. I think that was a big part of who he was and his success in the National Football League. I’m sure that’s reflected in his abilities as a football coach as well.”
NC State is scheduled to open the 2027 season at home against North Carolina A&T in what will be Rivers’ first game as head coach.
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