Former QB Philip Rivers nearing return to NC State as next football coach, reports say
By Google News Sports ·
RALEIGH — NC State is moving to hire former quarterback Philip Rivers as its next coach, according to multiple reports Sunday morning.
Rivers, a longtime NFL standout, will succeed Dave Doeren as NC State’s head coach if hired. Doeren, the school’s all-time leader in coaching victories, was fired Oct. 24, seven games into his 14th season with the Wolfpack.
On3 and The Athletic reported that the school is “working to finalize” a deal with Rivers. NC State’s Board of Trustees must approve any contract with Rivers before a public announcement. The board has previously scheduled meetings on Thursday and Friday.
A source close to the situation told WRAL that there is “nothing to report.”
Rivers, 44, quickly became the hottest name to replace him and his hiring brings star power, excitement and some familiarity to a program seeking a fresh start. His son, Gunner, is a four-star recruit and committed to play at NC State.
Rivers met with NC State officials Wednesday in Alabama, where he is the coach at St. Michael Catholic, which was eliminated from the state playoffs Friday night.
“I’ve known some of those guys for a while now, so it was good to visit with them,” Rivers said Friday.
When asked by WRAL if there would be a next step in his conversations with NC State, Rivers said: “There could be. I think that the potential next step would involve all of those things you referenced.”
Those things are his family, which is headquartered in southern Alabama. His brother, Scott, is a member of the St. Michael coaching staff. He has six children. His sister lives nearby with her children. Rivers has 10 kids and now grandchildren. His mom and dad attended Friday night’s game. They live in northern Alabama, where they care for Rivers’ grandmother.
“It’s a lot when you talk about all those things — and all those things are real,” Rivers said.
It is an unconventional choice for the Wolfpack. Rivers has never coached in college football or the NFL. But Rivers, a beloved alum who led the Wolfpack to its only 11-win season in school history in 2002, should generate enormous excitement around NC State — and drive financial giving at a time when money has never been more vital to a program’s success.
“We believe this is the right time for a new chapter, with fresh leadership and renewed energy to elevate Wolfpack Football to the next level,” they wrote.
Doeren was fired a day after a 31-28 loss at Stanford dropped the Wolfpack to 3-4 on the season. Doeren went 98-74 in 13-plus seasons with the Wolfpack. NC State qualified for 11 bowl games and went 9-4 against rival North Carolina under Doeren, but the program never won 10 games in a season and never qualified for the ACC Championship Game.
NC State hasn’t won an ACC football title since 1979 and has never played in the conference championship game, which was established in 2005.
Doeren said in a farewell address Tuesday that for the Wolfpack to become “what is wanted and expected, the resources need to match the expectations.”
“We believe that NC State will compete at an elite level, challenge for ACC Championships, and be positioned for the College Football Playoff year in and year out,” Chancellor Kevin Howell and athletics director Boo Corrigan wrote in a letter to Wolfpack Club members and the university’s Board of Trustees on Oct. 28.
NC State spent an estimated $22 million to $26 million on its football roster this season, according to The Athletic, which compiled estimated totals for…
Originally published by Google News Sports
