Clemson fans may have just gotten a reason to smile, because NC State appears to be moving toward a head coaching hire that has plenty of people around the ACC shaking their heads.
On3’s Chris Low, Pete Nakos, and Noah Fleischman reported Sunday morning that Philip Rivers “is working to finalize a deal” to become NC State’s next head coach. The former NFL quarterback and Wolfpack star would take over in Raleigh after most recently playing for the Indianapolis Colts, replacing Dave Doeren.
Rivers has coached his son at the high school level, but this would be a massive leap in competition. Gunner Rivers is a four-star quarterback committed to NC State, yet the idea of the former San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers star stepping straight into an ACC head coaching job is drawing plenty of laughs in ACC country. The sense is clear: Boo Corrigan is going after the splashy name.
Clemson and NC State won’t meet this season, but the Textile Bowl still gives the Tigers a reason to pay attention when the Wolfpack make a move. And this one looks risky. NC State could have gone in a lot of directions, but instead it appears to be betting on a headline-grabber with a very steep learning curve.
That’s where the skepticism comes in. High-profile coaching hires have a rough track record, whether it’s Deion Sanders, Trent Dilfer, Eddie George, Michael Vick, or DeSean Jackson.
Dilfer was let go last year at UAB. George’s Bowling Green team has struggled badly in the MAC.
Sanders has not lived up to the hype at Colorado, while Vick and Jackson have been merely solid at their schools.
NC State had been stuck in mediocrity under Doeren, but this is still a huge gamble. The program is putting its future on a move that has too often gone sideways. A few years ago, Charlotte made a similar bet in the Group of Six with Biff Poggi, and that decision looked badly out of its depth.
Rivers was a quarterback, yes, but so was Dilfer. That alone doesn’t make this a safe hire.
It may be the kind of opportunity Rivers and his family couldn’t turn down, but the odds of this working out do not feel favorable. If it does succeed, then fine.
But by chasing Rivers, NC State is passing on more proven options like Shannon Dawson, Bryant Haines, and others who would have looked like far safer choices.
In Other News...
SEC Criticism Of Lane Kiffin Just Got Harder For LSU To Ignore
The criticism around Lane Kiffin has only grown louder since LSUs loss to Alabama, and Paul Finebaum added his voice to the conversation by questioning whether the Tigers coach has truly figured out how to get past elite opponents. Finebaum pointed to Kiffins earlier success against lesser competition, but said the bigger test still hangs over him: proving he can win the games that matter most.
For LSU, the timing makes the scrutiny hard to ignore. The Tigers are trying to steady themselves while the schedule ahead offers little room to breathe, and every stumble only sharpens the debate about whether Kiffin can deliver in the SECs toughest spots. Until that changes, the questions around his ceiling will keep following him wherever LSU goes next. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Stayed Alive In The ACC Race But Exposed A Bigger Concern
Clemson kept its ACC hopes from slipping away with an 18-13 win over Syracuse, a result that extended the Tigers winning streak to two games and leaned heavily on a defense that did enough to preserve the margin. Nolan Hauser also tied a Clemson record with four field goals in the regular season, a reminder that the Tigers found points where they could even as the offense flashed only in bursts.
The bigger concern is how often Clemson had to settle instead of finish. The offense showed a few explosive plays, but it did not consistently turn them into touchdowns, leaving special teams and the coaching staff with mixed reviews after a game that was closer than the Tigers likely wanted. For a team still trying to stay in the ACC race, the win mattered, but the way it came about left plenty to sort through. [Read more 🡒]
Ashton Hampton Just Changed Clemsons Ceiling In The Secondary
Ashton Hampton gave Clemson exactly the kind of back-end performance that can change how a defense is viewed going forward. Against Syracuse, he led the Tigers with eight tackles, added two pass breakups and picked off a pass, all while helping keep Umari Hatcher from becoming a game-breaking factor. For a Clemson secondary that has been looking for a steady tone-setter, Hampton looked like the player who could set it.
The bigger question now is how far this kind of showing can carry him and the unit around him. Hamptons rise has already put him in the conversation as one of Clemsons most important defensive pieces, and performances like this only strengthen the sense that he could be on an early NFL path. For the Tigers, it is the kind of development that can raise the ceiling of the entire defense if it keeps holding up week after week. [Read more 🡒]