The North Carolina State job is the second Power Four coaching position to come open after the Wolfpack fired longtime coach Dave Doeren on Saturday following a dismal performance in a loss at Stanford on Friday night. Doeren's legacy at NC State stands as one of the program's best coaches, but after going 98-73 in 14 seasons with the Wolfpack, the program decided to make a change. The million-dollar question in Raleigh is who will take over as they look to become a threat in the ACC again.
When our CBS Sports insiders began canvassing the landscape for coaching candidates immediately after Doeren was fired, the initial hot list features three current head coaches, three hot coordinators ... and NC State legend Philip Rivers. Rivers would be a fascinating choice given he has no collegiate coaching experience, but after a long career in the NFL, he's been coaching at St. Michael Catholic in Fairhope, Alabama, since 2021.
Michael is his son, Gunner, a 4-star quarterback in the 2027 recruiting class who just so happens to be committed to NC State. Hiring Rivers would require a leap of faith for the Wolfpack, but when Rivers came out of retirement for the Indianapolis Colts last year, there was plenty of scuttlebutt about his potential as a future NFL coach once his son graduated. Rivers is a well-respected football mind, and it would ensure the Wolfpack kept Gunner Rivers in an NC State uniform.
But how he'd fare as a head coach at the collegiate level is a complete mystery. If NC State were to hire Rivers, it'd have to nail down the support system around him to let him focus on football. Running a successful college football program in 2026 requires a unique set of skills, and NC State would need to make a quick, honest assessment of Rivers' strengths and weaknesses and fill those gaps with strong hires around him in terms of personnel, NIL, fundraising and all of the things that go on off the field that contribute to success or failure.
Mullen has insisted he's happy at UNLV and doesn't want to leave Las Vegas, but that won't stop the phone from ringing as he once again has the Rebels among the best in the Group of Six in 2026. NC State could view themselves as much closer to the Mississippi State program Mullen led to prominence rather than the Florida machine that he struggled to mesh with. Mullen has had a winning record everywhere he's coached, leading the Bulldogs to a 69-46 record over nine seasons before a 34-15 record at Florida, and he's currently 14-7 at UNLV.
The Gators tenure didn't go as hoped, but that job has proven to be tough for anyone to live up to expectations. The real question is whether Mullen is truly as happy as he says in Vegas or if he can't help but wonder if he has one more rebuild in him at a Power Four program. Speaking of coaches who win everywhere they go, Huff is in his first season at Memphis and has the Tigers right back in the mix in the American title race at 6-2.
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