Nick Saban reveals advice for Philip Rivers after taking NC State head coach job

After six years as a high school head coach at Fairhope (Ala.) St. Michael Catholic, Philip Rivers is returning to Raleigh. NC State announced him as its next head coach Friday, replacing Dave Doeren, and it will mark his first college coaching job. Shortly after the announcement, former Alabama coach Nick Saban reacted to the hire. He also shared what his advice would be for Rivers as he prepares to take over at NC State in 2027 after signing a five-year contract. $39.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage Saban said Rivers’ football IQ is already apparent from his time in the NFL, as well as at St. Michael Catholic. But he noted some of the off-field areas coaches have to spend time at the college level, which is why it comes down to maximizing time with the players. “First of all, I think that Philip Rivers – from a technical standpoint, from a football standpoint, being an NFL quarterback for so many years, being a smart guy – he probably will be able to coach the players in that part of it,” Saban said on The Pat McAfee Show. “But being a college coach, to me, is all about being a program builder. Recruiting is a really big thing. Watch on Fubo (Try for Free) “And developing relationships with people, having the kind of staff that can develop those relationships and provide the leadership for these guys, a little different in terms of how you’ve got to motivate college players vs. being an NFL player. He was in high school. Probably a lot of similarities to that.” Rivers interviewed for the Buffalo Bills’ head coach job last year after making a short NFL comeback with the Indianapolis Colts late in the regular season. As a whole, during his time at St. Michael Catholic, he had a 48-21 overall record since taking over in 2021 and took the program to two state semifinal berths. When it comes to building a college program, Saban said efficiency will be crucial. Evaluation is also important as Philip Rivers gets into a new world in college football, and Saban thinks he can handle it, based on how smart he is. “I think the program part – whether it’s the academics, whether it’s the discipline in the program – how are you going to practice and be most efficient in how you spend the time, which is a limited amount of time in college because of academics?” Saban said. “All those types of things, to me, are going to be the key in terms of how you evaluate the players you have on the team, how you evaluate players you’re going to pay, how you evaluate the guys you’re going to recruit. “All these things take an expertise that maybe hasn’t been something that he’s experienced, he’s probably capable of. But if he can set up the right protocol for those things, I think he has a great chance to be successful.”