Russell Wilson is in the mix for the North Carolina State head coaching job.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the former Seattle Seahawks quarterback interviewed for the opening on Tuesday. Wilson spent three seasons at NC State from 2008-10 before transferring to Wisconsin for his final college year in 2011.
Wilson’s name enters the picture as the Wolfpack also weighs another familiar face. ESPN reported Saturday that Philip Rivers, the eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback and NC State alum, has “engaged in serious discussions” about coaching his alma mater.
NC State moved on from Dave Doeren on Oct. 24 after a 3-4 start. Doeren had been in charge for 14 seasons.
Wilson, now 37, stepped away from the NFL in June after a 14-year run and is spending this fall as a CBS Sports analyst on “The NFL Today” pregame show.
His pro career was defined by a long stretch in Seattle, where he played from 2012-21 and helped lead the Seahawks to two Super Bowl appearances and their first title. He became known for his deep ball and his ability to escape pressure, piled up franchise records, finished in the top four of AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year voting three times and won the NFL’s 2020 Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
The end of that Seattle run came in March 2022, when the Seahawks traded him to the Denver Broncos in a blockbuster deal. Seattle used the haul of draft capital to help build toward its 2025 Super Bowl-winning team, while Wilson’s career took a sharp turn in the other direction.
After leaving the Seahawks, Wilson went 17-27 as a starter across three teams in four seasons. He was 11-19 in Denver from 2022-23, 6-5 with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024 and 0-3 with the New York Giants in 2025 before Jaxson Dart, a first-round pick, took over.
In 14 seasons, Wilson threw for 46,966 yards, 353 touchdowns and 114 interceptions. He also rushed for 5,568 yards and 31 scores, making him the only player in NFL history to top both 40,000 passing yards and 5,000 rushing yards.
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Wisconsin Just Reached A Quarterback Decision Point Fans Saw Coming
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Hopkins late-game appearance now puts the Badgers in a familiar spot for struggling teams: weighing whether to ride with the veteran option or hand more responsibility to the young passer. The coming games will say a lot about how Wisconsin wants to shape its offense going forward, and whether this is a short-term reset or the start of a longer look at the freshman. [Read more 🡒]
Mason Posas Locker Room Message Should Alarm Every Wisconsin Fan
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John Blackwells Duke Debut Raised A Familiar Wisconsin Concern
John Blackwells first official game in a Duke uniform did not go the way either he or the Blue Devils wanted. After a promising exhibition showing against Kansas, the former Wisconsin guard struggled in his season debut against Army, finishing with just three points while shooting poorly and coughing up the ball multiple times. For a player being asked to help run the offense, it was the kind of opening night that naturally gets attention, especially from fans who had already seen enough in exhibition play to wonder what kind of role he could grow into.
For Wisconsin followers, the performance also stirred a familiar kind of unease about how a transfers new fit can look very different once the games count. Blackwells debut was enough to raise questions about his comfort as Dukes point guard, even if one bad night hardly settles anything this early in the season. The bigger issue now is whether this was simply a rough outlier or the first sign that his adjustment to a new system may take longer than expected. [Read more 🡒]