Philip Rivers Introductory Press Conference: Time, TV and NC State’s Next Step

NC State made it official Friday. Philip Rivers is the Wolfpack’s new head football coach, and the Philip Rivers introductory press conference is set for Monday, Nov. 16, at 1:30 p.m. ET, live on ACC Network.

Before he ever stands at that podium, though, his new team has a game to play. And the clock on its season is ticking.

NEWS: Philip Rivers has been named the new coach at NC State. He’s signed a five-year deal and will be introduced on Monday. pic.twitter.com/aDSRhuE3Tm

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 13, 2026

How to watch the Philip Rivers introductory press conference

The event itself is private and invitation-only, according to the school’s announcement. Fans can still see all of it.

It airs live on ACC Network at 1:30 p.m. ET Monday. It will also stream on GoPack.com and ACC Network Extra for anyone without the TV channel.

That’s the first time Rivers will take questions as a college head coach. He’s never coached at the college or NFL level. His only head coaching job so far was six seasons at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Ala.

He took less money than the coach NC State fired

Here’s a number that jumps off the page.

Rivers signed a five-year deal. 247Sports’ Cory Smith reported it pays $3.25 million a year, though the school hasn’t released official contract figures yet.

According to sources, Philip Rivers' contract with NC State is a five-year deal for $3.25 million per year.

The official contract details have not been released at this time.https://t.co/sWcM1cbHDQ

— Cory Smith (@RCorySmith) November 13, 2026

Dave Doeren was making about $5.75 million a year when NC State let him go, per Yardbarker. Do the math and Rivers comes in roughly $2.5 million a year cheaper. Over five years, his reported deal adds up to $16.25 million.

Nobody thinks Rivers took this job for the paycheck. He made more than enough in 17 NFL seasons. If he wins in Raleigh, a raise will come fast.

Rivers isn’t coaching Saturday. Todd Goebbel is.

Quick note for anyone tuning in Saturday: Rivers was hired Friday, but he is not on the sideline this weekend.

Todd Goebbel, the running backs coach and special teams coordinator, has been the interim coach since Doeren was fired on Oct. 24, and he stays in that role for the rest of 2026, FootballScoop reported. Smith also wrote on X that Rivers takes over the program for the 2027 regular season.

Doeren was 3-4 when he was let go after a loss at Stanford. He left as the winningest coach in program history at 98-74. Goebbel split his first two games, beating Cal 31-10 and then getting blown out 41-3 by Duke last Saturday.

NC State’s bowl math: 2 out of 3

The Wolfpack sit at 4-5 and 10th in the ACC, per ESPN. They need two wins in their final three games to reach bowl eligibility.

What’s left on the schedule:

Saturday, Nov. 14: Syracuse at NC State, noon ET, ACC Network (Carter-Finley Stadium)
Saturday, Nov. 21: NC State at Florida State, ACC Network
Saturday, Nov. 28: NC State at North Carolina

Two of those three are on the road, and the last one is the rivalry game in Chapel Hill. A bowl trip would give the program extra December practices before Rivers fully takes over. So Saturday’s home game against Syracuse matters more than a usual mid-November date.

“We’re not scared of hard”

Rivers sounded like Rivers in the school’s release. He said he feels like he’s coming home, and he didn’t pretend the job will be easy.

“There’s no denying that this is going to take hard work, but we’re not scared of hard,” he said in the statement.

Athletic director Boo Corrigan called him a one-of-a-kind fit. Corrigan and the school pointed to his leadership and the way he connects with people, which is the whole bet here. Rivers has no college staff experience, so who he hires around him will tell fans a lot. Expect that question to come up Monday.

Gunner Rivers is already in the 2027 class

There’s a family layer to all of this. Rivers’ son, Gunner, is a four-star quarterback in the 2027 class and has been committed to NC State since February, WRAL reported. He played for his dad at St. Michael, whose season ended with a 42-35 first-round playoff loss.

That loss is also why the timing worked. Rivers told NC State he wanted to finish the high school season first. Once it ended, the school’s Board of Trustees approved the deal Friday.

If this all feels familiar, it’s because Rivers has done the surprise-return thing before. He came out of retirement to start three games for the Colts late in 2025, a run that feels like a lifetime ago given what Indy just did at the trade deadline.

Where Rivers fits in the national college football picture

NC State’s season won’t move the national needle. The latest CFP rankings are about Georgia and Alabama, not the Wolfpack. But the hire itself is one of the loudest moves of the coaching cycle, and the reaction across college football showed how many people are curious to see if a high school coach can win in the ACC.

Step one is noon Saturday against Syracuse. Step two is Monday at 1:30 p.m. ET, when Rivers finally gets the mic.