Rivers' comment amid swirling speculation
Philip Rivers addressed speculation Monday about the vacant NC State head-coaching job, telling Ben Thomas of AL.com, "There is nothing there at this point," and adding, "Like I said last year, you never say never, but there is nothing imminent." He stopped short of expressing interest.
The remarks come after NC State fired head coach Dave Doeren following a 31-28 loss to Stanford that dropped the Wolfpack to 3-4 overall. Since Doeren's firing, Rivers' name has surfaced in coaching chatter; On3 reported he has emerged as a focal point in the program's search.
Connections to the program and the setting for Rivers' remarks
Rivers has longstanding ties to NC State — he played four years for the Wolfpack and his son has a commitment to join the program in 2027 — details that help explain why his name would quickly appear in coaching speculation. Despite those connections, Rivers' comments indicate nothing immediate is underway.
The exchange came after Ben Thomas of AL.com caught up with Rivers following St. Michael Catholic's 53-32 regular-season-ending loss to Foley (Ala.). When approached, Rivers said, "There is nothing there at this point," and added, "Like I said last year, you never say never, but there is nothing imminent," remarks that pushed back on the idea of an active candidacy while leaving open future possibilities.
Rivers' public response stopped short of expressing active interest; he said, "There is nothing there at this point," and added that one never knows where future opportunities might lead, declining to signal that he was prepared to pursue the opening.
The coaching search at NC State is ongoing, and Rivers' name will likely remain part of the conversation given his history with the program and familial ties. But based on his own words Monday night, any notion that he is an imminent candidate for the Wolfpack job remains unconfirmed.
