NC State coaching candidates: Wolfpack legend Philip Rivers, Dan Mullen among options to replace Dave Doeren

Rivers' son, Gunner, is a top recruit who is committed to NC State in the 2027 recruiting cycle Oct 24, 2026 at 7:15 pm ET • 4 min read 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. Philip Rivers, legendary NC State QBRivers 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. His star player at St. 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.Dan Mullen, UNLV coachMullen 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. Charles Huff, Memphis coachSpeaking 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. Huff has a career 45-27 record at the FBS level since taking over Marshall in 2021 and has never had a losing record in the regular season across three programs. It feels like a matter of time before a Power Four program brings Huff in to see if that trend could continue at the next level, and the 43-year-old has to be under consideration for any program trying to establish a winning culture. Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati coachSatterfield had a rough time in his first stint in the ACC with Louisville, going 25-24 in four seasons with the Cardinals, but he's helped turn things around at Cincinnati and just picked up the biggest win of his tenure in Cincy on Saturday with a big win over No. 8 Texas Tech. Satterfield built his reputation in the state of North Carolina on the west side of the state with Appalachian State, where he went 47-16. If the Wolfpack are looking for someone more established and Mullen isn't the answer, Satterfield could garner a look. Glenn Schumann, Georgia DCThe first of a trio of coordinators who could be in the mix for NC State -- and, really, any Power Four job that opens up -- is Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann. The 36-year-old has been with Kirby Smart since he was a student assistant at Alabama starting way back in 2008 and followed Smart to Georgia, where he's worked his way up from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator in Athens. No one is better versed in Smart's vision for program building than Schumann, and after Dan Lanning's success at Oregon, teams might try to pull from the Smart tree again soon. Bryant Haines, Indiana DCHaines has been Curt Cignetti's right-hand man on defense going back to their time at Elon in 2017. While Cignetti has climbed the ladder as arguably the best college coach in the country, Haines has been right alongside, making an impression as one of the best defensive coordinators anywhere. His name popped up on the coaching carousel last year, but Indiana was able to retain him. That's going to get harder and harder every year that Indiana's defense remains dominant. Shannon Dawson, Miami OCDawson is the oldest of the coordinators getting buzz at 49 years old, but his work with the Miami offense, seamlessly transitioning from Cam Ward to Carson Beck to Darian Mensah and finding success, has been particularly notable with how quickly things change in modern college football. This year's Miami offense appears to be his best yet, and the Hurricanes will have to fend off some programs like NC State if they want to keep him on Mario Cristobal's staff beyond 2026.