NC State is expected to take the final step Friday toward making Philip Rivers its next football coach.
Sources told WRAL that the Board of Trustees is expected to approve Rivers’ contract when it meets in Raleigh, with a closed session on the agenda at the end of the board’s Friday morning meeting. Personnel deals are often handled in closed session before a vote in open session.
Rivers, a former Wolfpack quarterback and one of the most recognizable names in program history, met with NC State officials, including athletics director Boo Corrigan, in Alabama on Nov. 4 to talk about the opening. The job came open after NC State fired Dave Doeren on Oct. 24 in the middle of his 14th season.
The move would put Rivers in charge of the program without any college or pro coaching background. Still, he surfaced quickly as the leading choice after spending the last several years as head coach at St. Michael Catholic in Alabama, where he has been since 2021.
His current team was knocked out of the playoffs Friday, and Rivers was asked afterward about the possibility of taking over at NC State.
“I don’t know that,” he said. “It’s been a heck of a six years.
I know that and just trying to be where my feet are right now. Really was looking forward to this playoff run, and again, so it all comes to an end [Friday night].
We’ll see what the future holds.”
WRAL also asked whether there would be another step in the conversations with NC State.
“There could be. I think that the potential next step would involve all of those things you referenced.”
Rivers was talking about family considerations. He has 10 children and at least one grandchild, and his brother and sister live near Fairhope, Alabama.
His son, Pete, is a freshman quarterback at St. Michael.
Doeren’s firing came one day after a 31-28 loss at Stanford dropped the Wolfpack to 3-4. He finished 98-74 in 13-plus seasons at NC State, with 11 bowl appearances and a 9-4 record against North Carolina. Even so, the program never reached 10 wins in a season and never made the ACC Championship Game, which began in 2005.
NC State has not won an ACC football title since 1979.
In a late-October letter to Wolfpack Nation, Howell and Corrigan said: “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 added: “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. Together, we are fully committed to providing the financial investment, infrastructure, and NIL support required to compete and win in this new landscape.”
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Branham also arrives with some historical context attached, since he is now the 10th-highest ranked recruit Indiana has landed in the 247Sports era. In the schools official release, coach Darian DeVries highlighted both Branhams ability and his character, which is usually the kind of combination a staff hopes will translate well once the real work begins and the recruiting buzz gives way to what he can actually do in Bloomington. [Read more 🡒]
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Tobi Osunsanmi May Decide Whether Indiana Can Survive USCs Attack
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Tobi Osunsanmi is at the center of that challenge. Indiana has to find a way to make USC uncomfortable early and often, because if Maiava settles in, the Trojans can turn a game fast through the air. The Hoosiers have shown they can defend at a high level, but this one may hinge on whether Osunsanmi and the pass rush can force USC out of rhythm before the secondary has to hold up for long stretches. [Read more 🡒]