Why NC State should hire Philip Rivers despite obvious risks of tabbing high school coach

Why NC State should hire Philip Rivers despite obvious risks of tabbing high school coach originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Philip Rivers vs. Bill Belichick in the ACC? 

Say no more.

On saturday, On3.com’s Pete Nakos reported that Rivers has emerged as the focus of NC State’s coaching search – one week after the program parted ways with long-time coach Dave Doeren. According to the report, there is no timetable and Rivers would finish coaching at St. Michael Catholic High School (Fairhope, Ala.) before a decision would be made. 

Imagine the locker-room conversations at St. Michael ahead of the Alabama AA Region 1 playoffs. Would Rivers actually work at NC State? Or is this a disaster waiting to happen? Is this the move athletic director Boo Corrigan wants to make?

We say go for it, NC State.

MORE:Best options to replace Dave Doeren at NC State

Why is Philip Rivers a candiate for the NC State job? 

Rivers, 44, is an automatic fan favorite for the vacancy. He totaled 13,484 passing yards, 95 TDs and 34 interceptions as quarterback for the Wolfpack from 2000-03. He led NC State to an 11-3 record in 2002, and that’s the last time the program reached double-digit victories in a single season.

Rivers played 18 seasons in the NFL, including a three-game return with the Indianapolis Colts last season.

The alma mater angle is strong, and Rivers’ son Gunnar is a four-star NC State recruit in the class of 2027. If it’s about personal investment, then Rivers is the right fit. The Wolfpack are 16-18 since the ACC’s latest round of realignment. The steady seasons Doeren strung together from 2017-23, when the program won eight or more games in six of those years, have deteriorated.

Hiring Rivers would attract boosters, re-energize the fan base and give the Wolfpack hope of becoming a contender in a conference that will likely have one bid in the College Football Playoff for the second straight year.

Can you make the jump from AA Region 1 to the ACC?

More: Meet Philip Rivers’ entire family, including his 10 children

Could Philip Rivers make the jump from high school to FBS?

It’s risky for sure. Rivers would be a rare example of a coach making the jump from high school coach to head coach without experience at that level.

The most famous example is Gerry Faust, who built a dynasty at Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati from 1962-80 before taking the Notre Dame job. He finished 30-26-1 in five seasons with the Irish.

More recent examples include Tony Sanchez, who coached at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas before being hired by UNLV. Sanchez went 29-61 between stints at UNLV and New Mexico State. Of course, UAB hired Trent Dilfer, another former NFL quarterback, who went 9-21 with the Blazers.

Rivers has a 49-20 record at St. Michael Catholic High School, including a 12-2 record in 2024 and a 13-1 record in 2025. That is nowhere near the same level of success as Faust, and the risk for disaster is high. Why would you do it anyway?

MORE: Why did NC State fire Dave Doren?

Why NC State should hire Philip Rivers 

Is the alma mater factor the simple answer? We could see Rivers doing what Pat Fitzgerald did at Northwestern. Fitzgerald, a former Wildcats linebacker, took the job after Randy Walker passed away in 2006. It was hit or miss, but Northwestern mixed in five winning seasons over the next 10 years, including two 10-win seasons. When can NC State say that happened?

Fitzgerald did have eight seasons as an assistant coach under his belt, however, and that is the key. Could Rivers translate that knowledge as a longtime NFL quarterback and high school football coach into success at the FBS level? Deion Sanders did that initially at Colorado, but that program has bottomed out.

Rivers could attract recruits, at least in the early stages. His Alabama high school coaching track record helps, and he could help with quarterback development. As always, it comes down to the coaching staff Rivers would bring with him to NC State.

Rivers, however, at least feels different, and the interest suggests NC State is willing to take that chance. Maybe the Wolfpack, which would have made the CFP five times had it been a 24-team CFP since 2014, could achieve that level of respectability. Plus, like we said, there is the possibility of a rivalry matchup with Bill Belichick and North Carolina next season.

This is not a better hire than Memphis coach Charles Huff or Appalachian State coach Dowell Loggains. We don’t know if that would work, but we would definitely watch the Wolfpack with great interest.

When is the last time NC State can say that happened?