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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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NC State officially fired longtime head coach Dave Doeren on Oct. 24, one day after the Wolfpack's 31-28 loss at Stanford, dropping them to 3-4 on the season.
Doeren had coached the team for 14 seasons, the longest tenure in program history. Running backs coach Todd Goebbel took over as interim coach and won his debut 31-10 over Cal.
However, Goebbel isn't expected to retain the position after this season. Instead, the biggest name tied to the job is program legend Philip Rivers, the longtime NFL quarterback who now coaches high school football in Alabama. Multiple outlets have already reported that he's a serious candidate for the job, though Rivers himself acknowledged that there's nothing imminent and wants to focus on his high school team's postseason.
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CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz reported Tuesday, though, that the two sides are expected to talk again soon and that there's "continued momentum" toward Rivers being the hire. He added that nothing is final.
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Rivers is an eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback who played 18 seasons with the Chargers and Colts after being taken fourth overall in the 2004 draft. Before that, he was a four-year starter at NC State, throwing for 13,484 yards and 95 touchdowns and going 34-17. He had his No. 17 jersey retired by the program during his final senior year.
However, Rivers has never coached college football. He's been the head coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Alabama for six seasons, reaching the state semifinals in each of the past two, and he interviewed for the Bills' head coaching job last offseason before withdrawing. His son, Gunner, a quarterback, is committed to NC State for 2027.
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Hiring Rivers could energize the fan base and help with recruiting, though the jump from high school to the ACC is a big gamble. Other names that have been floated as possibilities include James Madison's Billy Napier, Memphis' Charles Huff, New Mexico's Jason Eck, and LSU's defensive coordinator Blake Baker, among others.
NC State is currently 4-4 and 2-3 in the ACC, with remaining games against Duke and Syracuse at home on Nov. 7 and Nov. 14, then Florida State on the road on Nov. 21 and North Carolina on the road on Nov. 28.
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