Philip Rivers is going back to Raleigh. The former Chargers and Colts quarterback has accepted the head coaching job at NC State, his alma mater, On3’s Chris Low and Pete Nakos reported Wednesday. The school’s board of trustees is expected to finalize his contract at a meeting Friday, sources told ESPN, with an official announcement to follow.
Rivers, 44, has never coached in college. He has spent the last six seasons as the head coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama, and he told NC State he wanted to finish that season before moving on. St. Michael’s season ended last Friday.
NC State moves even closer to hiring Philip Rivers. https://t.co/RSAJx23rId
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) November 12, 2026
From Chargers star to college head coach
NFL fans know Rivers best from his long run with the Chargers, who acquired him in the 2004 draft-day trade with the Giants. He spent 16 seasons with the franchise in San Diego and Los Angeles, then played for the Colts in 2020 before retiring. He earned eight Pro Bowl selections, according to On3.
Then came a twist few saw coming. Rivers left a five-year retirement in 2025 to play three games for the Colts, who were trying to stay in the playoff race, Wolfpack On SI noted. His relationship with Colts coach Shane Steichen was part of the reason he came back. The playoff push fell short, but the comeback kept his name in the football conversation right as NC State’s job was opening up.
His old teams look very different now. The Chargers are 0-8, the only winless team in the league, and our breakdown of how the Chargers fell to 0-8 walks through the collapse, including Justin Herbert’s finger injury. The Colts, meanwhile, sold at the deadline, sending Rivers’ longtime target Keenan Allen to the 49ers and Josh Downs to the Chiefs.
Why NC State went with Rivers
At NC State, Rivers is one of the most celebrated players the program has ever had. He played quarterback there from 2000 to 2003, threw for more than 13,000 yards and close to 100 touchdowns, and led the Wolfpack to four straight bowl games, according to BVM Sports and ESPN.
He was not the only former NFL quarterback in the mix. Russell Wilson, another NC State product, interviewed for the job earlier this month, FOX Sports reported. On3’s Nakos first reported in October that Rivers had become the focus of the search, and the school later met with him in Alabama.
There is a family angle, too. His son Gunner, a four-star quarterback prospect, is committed to join the Wolfpack next spring, per BVM Sports.
The record he brings
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| NC State playing career | QB, 2000-03 |
| NFL teams | Chargers (16 seasons), Colts (2020, 2025) |
| Pro Bowls | 8 |
| High school coaching | St. Michael Catholic (Ala.), six seasons, 48-21 |
| College coaching experience | None |
The high school résumé is solid. Rivers went 48-21 at St. Michael with two trips to the state semifinals, per BVM Sports. Still, the jump from high school to running a Power Four program, with recruiting, the transfer portal and NIL to manage, is a big one. NC State is betting his name, his ties to the school and his football mind will carry over.
Who he replaces
Rivers takes over for Dave Doeren, who was fired in late October during his 14th season and leaves as the winningest coach in program history, FOX Sports noted. Todd Goebbel is serving as interim coach for the rest of the 2026 season.
What comes next
The next step is Friday’s trustees meeting. Once the contract is approved, NC State is expected to formally introduce Rivers as its new head coach. From there, his first big tasks are building a staff and holding onto the current roster as the transfer portal opens.
For NFL fans, it is one more chapter for a quarterback who never really left the game. For a wider look at where the league stands right now, see our 2026 NFL midseason report.
Sources: On3, ESPN, FOX Sports, BVM Sports, Wolfpack On SI, RG, ClutchPoints
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