After N.C. State officials made the trek to Fairhope, Alabama earlier this week to formally meet with Philip Rivers, the former Wolfpack and NFL quarterback appears to be set to take the head coaching position at his alma mater.
The two sides are finalizing an agreement that is expected to be hammered out over the next 24 hours, sources told OutKick. The board of trustees at N.C. State have a meeting this coming week to approve the contract.
Conversations about Rivers taking the job in Raleigh had picked up after the school announced that Dave Doeren had been fired nearly two weeks ago.
Following a series of informal discussions with major donors about what it would take to make N.C. State competitive in the current era of college athletics, several Wolfpack boosters put a plan in motion to provide Rivers with the resources needed to hit the ground running.
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By the end of the week, all that was needed was pen to paper for the NC State alum.
But first, Rivers was going to finish his job as head coach of St. Michael Catholic in the Alabama high school football playoffs. His season came to an end on Friday night in Fairhope, as they lost in the opening round.
NC State gave Rivers the space needed to coach, now it’s onto Raleigh
According to multiple sources, Rivers had already begun putting together a coaching and front office staff for when he formally accepted the job offer and signed a contract.
On Friday night, Rivers was coaching St. Michael Catholic in their Alabama high school playoff game, where his son Gunner also plays. In addition to the intrigue of coaching for the first time in college, Gunner is also committed to NC State and will enroll in January to start his own collegiate career.
One of the biggest points of emphasis for Rivers taking the job in Raleigh was that he would be given enough money to work with for a veteran coaching staff, given that this will be his first college job.
Sources tell OutKick that one of his contract asks was that he be given a big enough pool of money to attract assistant coaches with college experience that would be open to making a move to Raleigh.
Also, having the NIL resources outside of the revenue-sharing that schools participate in was a key part of negotiations for NC State athletic director Boo Corrigan landing the former NFL quarterback.
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From a fan perspective, it’s obvious that the Wolfpack would be making a hire that would excite the base, and more importantly help sell tickets and also lead to an influx of donations needed to help fund rosters in the future.
Offering Philip Rivers the NC State job was a risk worth taking
This is seen as a win-win for both sides, given that this would obviously be an interesting splash around college football, especially in recruiting players who are familiar with the new head coach.
But there is also the obvious fact that players are going to go where the money leads them, though that’s clearly not the case for every player.
Still, putting together a formidable roster that can compete in the ACC and subsequently for a spot in the upcoming expanded College Football Playoff is key to making sure this hire doesn’t turn into a dud over the next few years.
We have seen countless coordinators in the college ranks receive their first shot at a head coaching job and watch it turn into chaos; just look at what is taking place with Tosh Lupoi at Cal this season, where general manager Ron Rivera is already sounding the alarms.
But, for a high school coach to be given an opportunity to start their collegiate career at the top, and especially at a school like NC State, goes to show you how much Wolfpack officials think about Rivers.
Now, the donors who have promised Rivers with the funds needed to compete will be tasked with making sure he can attack the transfer portal to add players to this NC State roster so that he can hit the ground running for the 2027 season.
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This will be an interesting situation to watch unfold over the next few months, with NC State fans expecting this team to once again start competing for ACC titles on a yearly basis.
Welcome to college football, Philip Rivers.
