Russell Wilson vying with Philip Rivers for NC State coaching job amid Super Bowl winner’s debut season at CBS
Retired NFL quarterback Russell Wilson has interviewed for the head-coaching vacancy at NC State, The Daily Mail has confirmed.
As first reported by ESPN, the 37-year-old Wilson now joins another former Wolfpack quarterback, Philip Rivers, in the running for the job. Wilson played three seasons at NC State before transferring to Wisconsin for his final college season. He’d go on to be taken in the third round by the Seahawks in the 2012 NFL Draft before winning a Super Bowl and Walter Payton Man of the Year honors.
After retiring as a free agent in June, Wilson accepted a studio analyst position on CBS Sports’ NFL Today, which has enjoyed a nine-percent increase in viewership over 2025, according to Front Office Sports.
Unlike Rivers, who is in his sixth season coaching at Alabama’s St. Michael Catholic High School, Wilson has no experience under the headset.
Athletic department spokespeople did not immediately respond to The Daily Mail’s request for comment.
NC State fired Dave Doeren as head coach on October 24 after a brutal loss to Stanford. But the Wolfpack did improve to .500 last week with an impressive win over Cal under interim coach Todd Goebbel.
Russell Wilson and wife Ciara attend the 2026 WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards at MOMA
Wilson played three seasons at NC State before transferring to Wisconsin as a senior
Former NC State quarterback Philip Rivers attends a Wolfpack-Tar Heels game in 2025
‘It has been a long week for us, a lot of sudden change,’ quarterback C J Bailey said after the win in Raleigh. ‘A win like this, I’m proud of these guys and how they played.’
Rivers told NC State he would like to finish his high school team’s season in Alabama before coming to Raleigh, where he played for the Wolfpack from 2000 until 2003.
In addition to their struggles on the field, the Wolfpack have also endured the recent death of legendary former coach Chuck Amato, as well as allegations of sexual misconduct against a former athletic department doctor.
Robert Murphy Jr. is accused of making sexual contact with male student athletes under the guise of treatment during his time at NC State. The 54-year-old faces 32 charges related to 14 former athletes. He has denied the allegations.
The school has said it will ‘cooperate with law enforcement in this matter.’
As for the gridiron, the Wolfpack (4-4) are hosting Tobacco Road rival Duke on Saturday.
