FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Philip Rivers confirmed Wednesday that he met earlier in the day with officials from North Carolina State University, the latest sign that the former Wolfpack quarterback could be moving closer to a return to his college alma mater as its head football coach. He offered no further comment.
Rivers, the head coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, was reported earlier Wednesday to be meeting with N.C. State officials in Fairhope. He has been at the center of coaching speculation since N.C. State parted ways with head coach Dave Doeren last month, as South AL News reported when Rivers first surfaced as a candidate.
What Rivers has said
After St. Michael’s regular-season finale, a loss to Foley, Rivers said N.C. State was special to him but cautioned against reading too much into the talk. “You understand the chatter is out there,” he said. “You take it one day at a time. I’m excited about this postseason with these guys. Like I said last year, you never say never, but there is nothing imminent.”
Wednesday’s confirmation does not settle the question. Rivers did not say what was discussed, and neither he nor the university has announced an offer or a hire.
Staff calls reported
Multiple sources reported Wednesday that Rivers has begun making preliminary phone calls to build a coaching staff and front office. Those reports have not been confirmed by Rivers or N.C. State.
An unnamed national college football reporter said a hire like Rivers could pay off in fundraising: “I believe galvanizing a fan base with a fan favorite like Rivers helps what really drives winning: fundraising.” The reporter said N.C. State is tired of middling success and called a Rivers hire “a quick fix that Rivers can ride into his debut, which several first-year coaches at other schools in the last cycle failed to do.” Whom he hires for his staff is critical, the reporter said, suspecting N.C. State wants someone who can immediately elevate talent acquisition in the transfer portal.
The Wolfpack background
N.C. State fired Doeren after a 31-28 loss to Stanford. He finished 98-74 and had been under contract through 2029. Rivers started 51 straight games at quarterback for the Wolfpack from 2000 to 2003, was the ACC Player of the Year in 2003 and is in the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame. Rivers has never been a college head coach or assistant. His son, senior quarterback Gunner Rivers, is an N.C. State commit.
Playoffs come first
Rivers is 48-20 in his sixth season at St. Michael, including 31-7 over the past three years with two state semifinal appearances. The Cardinals open the Alabama High School Athletic Association Double-A playoffs at home Friday against Glenwood. St. Michael would need to win three games to reach the state championship game on Dec. 2, which will be played at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the South Alabama campus.
“Shoot, we love it here,” Rivers said. “It’s been awesome. We’ve poured everything we have into this program and really looking forward to trying to send these seniors off on the right foot. We’ve been on the cusp. I know it’s a different league, but we’ve been on the cusp and, hopefully, we can get it done this year.”
All-Star Game withdrawal
Rivers was originally scheduled to be the offensive coordinator in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game on Dec. 12 in Mobile. He reportedly texted head coach Richie Busby that he needed to pull out. He did not disclose his reasons but did say it was not because Gunner Rivers was not on the roster. That account matches our earlier report in which Busby said Rivers told him by text that the decision was not related to his son being left off the roster.
More on the Cardinals’ season and the start of the playoffs is in our Week 11 takeaways and report on the Foley game.
