As the search for NC State’s next football coach continues, Philip Rivers has become one of the names drawing the most attention, and Alabama reporter Ben Thomas added a few fresh details to the conversation on Wednesday.
Thomas, who has covered sports in Alabama for more than three decades and handles high school coverage across the state for AL.com, wrote about the possibility of Rivers taking over the Wolfpack job and pointed to a handful of signs worth watching.
One of the biggest is Rivers’ long-running interest in coaching his sons at St. Michael, where he is now in his sixth season as head coach. Thomas said Rivers has spoken with him repeatedly about wanting to coach several of his sons there, and that he has built deep ties in Fairhope, Alabama.
Thomas also recalled a conversation with Rivers after his unusual three-game run with the Colts last season. Rivers, 44 at the time, came out of retirement after Indianapolis was hit by injuries to all three quarterbacks - Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard. After that four-week stretch, Rivers told Thomas he had come to believe he could coach older players beyond the high school level.
There is already a small Fairhope-to-Raleigh connection in place. Noah Moss, now a freshman at NC State, played for Rivers with the Cardinals before heading to Raleigh.
Next season, another St. Michael player will join him there: Rivers’ son, Gunner, who plays the same position as his father and wears the same number.
Thomas also noted that Rivers has not responded to his text messages since news broke of Doeren’s firing yesterday. According to Thomas, that has only happened once before in the past six seasons - when Rivers made the decision to return to the NFL last year.
One more wrinkle: Rivers had been scheduled to serve as offensive coordinator for the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic on December 12, but Thomas said sources told him Rivers will not take part. Thomas added that he did not think an injury to his son would keep Rivers from coaching in the annual game against Mississippi.
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For the Wolfpack, the numbers are a reminder that a coaching reset does not come cheaply, even before a replacement is identified. Potential candidates are already being mentioned around the sport, but for now the focus in Raleigh is on the cost of the change itself and what it means for a program trying to manage both the football search and the price tag attached to it. [Read more 🡒]
Philip Rivers Is Suddenly At Center Of NC State's Biggest Decision
NC States coaching search has quickly turned into a familiar kind of offseason intrigue, with the school moving on from Dave Doeren and beginning the process of finding its next head football coach. Among the names getting attention is one that will land with a lot of weight in Raleigh: Philip Rivers, the former Wolfpack quarterback who is now coaching at the high school level and has stayed closely connected to the program.
Rivers has surfaced as a potential candidate in reports from multiple sources, adding another layer to a search that already carries plenty of pressure for the program. His family connection to NC State only heightens the interest around the opening, but for now the picture remains unsettled as the university works through its options and no official hire has been announced. [Read more 🡒]
NC States Defensive Shakeup Just Raised The Stakes Even More
NC States staff overhaul kept rolling this week, and the latest move landed on the defensive side. DJ Eliot was fired after the earlier dismissals of head coach Dave Doeren and general manager Andy Vaughn, leaving the Wolfpack to reset in the middle of a difficult season and try to steady a unit that has been under heavy scrutiny.
Charlton Warren will now take over defensive play calling for the rest of the season, while Zac Roper has been shifted into a role coaching running backs and coordinating special teams. The changes come on the heels of another rough defensive showing, one in which NC State gave up 31 points and 477 yards to Stanford, a reminder of how much work remains even after the coaching shakeup. [Read more 🡒]