Yes, it looks like Philip Rivers will be the next former NFL player to become a college head coach.
Via USA Today, NC State and Rivers are [finalizing a deal](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2026/11/08/philip-rivers-nc-state-football-coach-hiring/92677896007/) that would make Rivers the next head coach of the Wolfpack.
“They’ve been working on a deal the entire past week,” an unnamed source told _USA Today_. “Not finalized but it’s getting there.”
Rivers played at NC State before becoming the fourth overall pick in the 2004 draft. He played for the Chargers through 2019, spent a season with the Colts, and retired until rejoining the Colts last December.
Rivers has coached at the high-school level since 2021. He recently finished the season, when St. Michael Catholic of Fairhope, Alabama lost in the postseason.
“[We’ll see what the future holds](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/philip-rivers-completes-high-school-season-confirms-interview-with-nc-state),” Rivers said after the game.
It appears that, barring something unexpected, the future holds Rivers returning to Raleigh, 23 years after he left for the next level.