NC State's coaching search starts with Philip Rivers as the Wolfpack host Cal

NC State has gone a week without Dave Doeren, and the most talked-about name to replace him has never coached a college game. The Big Lead reports that the Wolfpack are seriously considering Philip Rivers, the program's star quarterback. The outlet argues that a celebrity hire like Rivers, or Robert Griffin III at Baylor, could pay for itself if a popular alum brings in more NIL money for the roster.

The school fired Doeren on Oct. 24, less than a day after a 31-28 loss at Stanford dropped the Wolfpack to 3-4. ESPN reports that he is owed $10.3 million with three years left on his contract. Athletic director Boo Corrigan has promised a national search. Todd Goebbel, the running backs coach and special teams coordinator who joined the staff in 2019, will coach the rest of the season, WRAL reported. It is NC State's first coaching search since 2012. Doeren leaves as the school's winningest coach, but CBS Sports noted that Rivers' 2002 team is still the program's only 10-win season.

The Rivers connection runs deeper than nostalgia. ESPN's Pete Thamel first reported his candidacy, according to Bleacher Report. Rivers has been head coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Ala., since 2021. His son Gunner, a four-star quarterback, is committed to the Wolfpack. The Big Lead estimates NC State's roster is worth about $25 million, sixth in the ACC. Its argument is that spending matters more than the name on the headset, and that a beloved alum could help close the gap. Nothing is settled. NC State has not named any finalists, and Rivers has no college or NFL coaching experience.

What it means for Cal

Goebbel's first game is Saturday, Oct. 31, at home against California on ACC Network. He inherits a team that has lost two straight after a promising stretch. NC State beat App State 41-31 and Louisville 31-28. Then Wake Forest beat the Wolfpack 38-14 at home, and the Stanford loss followed. The season started with an 8-34 loss at Virginia, and the other defeat was a 35-31 loss at Vanderbilt. The Wolfpack have put up points in most weeks, but they have allowed at least 28 in five of seven games.

The market still has NC State as the clear favorite. On Novig, one of 12 venues on our board for the game, the Wolfpack are favored by 6.5 points at -115 and are -239 on the moneyline. Cal is +223 on Novig. The best price on Cal anywhere is BetRivers at +230, so the venues are only a few cents apart on the underdog. The spread differs more: Hard Rock Bet has Cal at +7.5 for -120, a full point more than Novig's +6.5 at +113. The total is 56.5 on Novig, and theScore Bet has the under at 57.5. Sportsbook hold runs from roughly 3.4% to 7% across the markets.

Those numbers suggest the market expects little immediate change from the coaching change. The bigger test for Goebbel is the defense, which gave up 69 points in the last two games combined. Follow the rest of the Wolfpack's season on our NC State team page.