Philip Rivers is assembling a potential NC State staff. This is getting real

Philip Rivers is assembling a potential NC State staff. This is getting real.

Key points

• The College Football Unfiltered crew offer their thoughts on a few coaching prospects to fill the empty head coaching roles at Baylor and NC State.
• In an unprecedented era of college football, North Carolina State is prepared to go one of the sport's most unconventional routes to finding its next head coach.
• This person created his own jump from high school to college head coach, heralded NC State's decision to look at Rivers.
• Dilfer believes that if NC State is fully committed to its football program, Rivers can find almost immediate success.
• That's true, just based on all the guys we had at UAB that are now Power-Four starters.

Philip Rivers is assembling a potential NC State staff. This is getting real. John Brice USA TODAY. Baylor and NC State new CFB coach selections.

Meanwhile, the College Football Unfiltered crew offer their thoughts on a few coaching prospects to fill the empty head coaching roles at Baylor and NC State.

Philip Rivers, whose No. 17 jersey was retired by the Wolfpack after his record-breaking career in Raleigh, is the primary focus to become the next head coach at his alma mater, five individuals with knowledge of the search informed USA TODAY Sports.

He would replace Dave Doeren. This person was fired midseason after 14 years leading the Wolfpack.

Dave Doeren sounds off: NC State 'resources need to match the expectations'.

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ESPN's Adam Schefter documented Tuesday the school interviewed another former star Wolfpack QB in Russell Wilson, but Rivers has already begun sounding out potential members for his NC State staff, a person with knowledge of the search informed USA TODAY Sports.

Rivers remains NC State's all-time record-holder with 51 consecutive starts at quarterback. He was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year in 2003 and the conference's Male Athlete of the Year in 2004.

Former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Trent Dilfer. This person created his own jump from high school to college head coach, heralded NC State's decision to look at Rivers.

I didn't fail in X's and O's or with recruiting, Dilfer exclusively informed USA TODAY Sports. I failed in rallying the base. I just couldn't obtain the UAB base rallied. But he's such a more natural fit.

"I mean, the base will be psychotically rallied around their all-time greatest player being their head coach."

Because he'll be relational, he'll be able to identify a good player from an overvalued recruit or player, remarked Dilfer, who after three seasons at UAB now has returned to the high school ranks in Tennessee. There's tons of overvalued recruits. I think what we know from our NFL days is what true value is. It's then having the resources to pay that number.

"If NC State's willing to go all in on that, then Philip will be a home run since he'll be able to evaluate them, recruit them, and now pay them. We could evaluate them as good as anybody. That's true, just based on all the guys we had at UAB that are now Power-Four starters. We could recruit them since it's relational, and we're good at. We just couldn't keep them. We couldn't pay them, and we couldn't obtain the ones out the portal as you don't have the funds."

Rivers would bring decades of NFL experience to Raleigh. Throughout 16 full seasons, along with a three-game return in 2025, he was an eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback and the NFL's 2013 Comeback Player of the Year.

Those who have worked closely with Rivers point to his leadership as another reason to believe the unconventional hire can work. Share your feedback to support improve our site!

In short, philip Rivers is assembling a potential NC State staff. This is getting is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.