College Football World Reacts To Philip Rivers Taking NC State Job
The former NFL quarterback has accepted his alma mater’s head coaching job, and the reaction is split between thrilled and skeptical.
Philip Rivers is going home.
The former NFL quarterback has formally accepted the NC State head coaching job, On3’s Chris Low and Pete Nakos reported Wednesday night. ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Mark Schlabach followed with word that the school’s board of trustees is expected to finalize his contract Friday.
BREAKING: Philip Rivers has accepted the NC State head coaching job, returning to his alma mater, @Clowfb and @PeteNakos report🐺
An official announcement is expected in the near future. https://t.co/FClcb8Rjvn https://t.co/pbHBdWjG6X pic.twitter.com/kuBQ7t8A20
— On3 (@On3) November 12, 2026
It’s one of the most surprising hires of the college football coaching cycle. Rivers has never coached a college or NFL team. For the last six seasons he’s been the head coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Alabama, whose season ended in the playoffs last week, ABC11 reported.
Breaking: The NC State board of trustees is expected to finalize a contract Friday that will make former NFL quarterback Philip Rivers his alma mater’s new head football coach, sources tell @PeteThamel and Mark Schlabach. pic.twitter.com/AK6KzQhRUY
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 12, 2026
College football world reacts to Philip Rivers hire
The reaction online split pretty quickly into two camps.
Plenty of Wolfpack fans loved it. One called NC State a sleeping giant and liked the idea of a program legend coming home to lead it, according to a roundup by Pro Football Network. Football writer Zach Gatsby kept it simple: Rivers is back in college football.
The skeptics pointed to the résumé. The most common line was that Rivers has zero college coaching experience, and more than one fan called the hire a social experiment worth watching, per Wolfpack On SI. Others just couldn’t believe it was real.
On campus, the mood is mostly excited. Students told ABC11 the hire brings new energy and that Rivers’ love for the school matters as much as his coaching record.
Why NC State went with Rivers
The job opened Oct. 24 when NC State fired Dave Doeren after 14 seasons. Doeren went 98-73 and leaves as the program’s all-time wins leader, On3 noted. Rivers interviewed with athletic director Boo Corrigan on Nov. 4.
Money is part of it, too. Prominent boosters are behind the hire, and it’s expected to give the Wolfpack’s NIL funding a major boost, FOX8 reported, citing On3.
And there’s a family angle. Rivers’ son Gunner, a four-star quarterback, is already committed to NC State and reaffirmed that commitment last month.
Rivers played at NC State from 2000 to 2003, and his No. 17 is retired there. He went on to an 18-year NFL career with eight Pro Bowl selections, then made a brief three-game comeback with the Colts in 2025, the same franchise that just went through a trade deadline sell-off.
What’s next for the Wolfpack
The board vote comes Friday. On the field, NC State needs to win two of its last three games, against Syracuse, Florida State and North Carolina, to avoid missing a bowl for the first time since 2019.
Then the Philip Rivers era starts for real.
Sources: On3 on X, ESPN on X, On3, Pro Football Network, Wolfpack On SI, ABC11, FOX8
