It’s been a long time since N.C. State had to make a football coaching hire. It’s a lot more complicated these days, with the transfer portal, revenue sharing and the ever-changing landscape of college football.

N.C. State fired Dave Doeren on Saturday, less than 24 hours after the Wolfpack lost to a struggling Stanford team on the road. Now it’s tasked with finding a new leader.

There are plenty of options, but not all of them are necessarily created equally. The Wolfpack plucked Doeren from Northern Illinois, out of the Group of 5 level. Doeren, who had two decades of experience, had only spent two seasons as a head coach when he took the job. Now, the Wolfpack brass has to decide what it wants.

It could go for another G5 head coach and give the candidate a second or third head job, just on the Power Four level. N.C. State could also select a Power Four coordinator who may or may not have head coaching experience. Or it could risk it for Philip Rivers.

Philip Rivers (St. Michael Catholic High School)

The former N.C. State and legendary NFL quarterback is a fan favorite for the position. Rivers has no college coaching experience, but he has coached at St. Michael Catholic in Fairhope, Alabama, and interviewed with the Buffalo Bills for their head coaching position last year.

Andy Albright, a longtime Wolfpack donor, posted a photo of Rivers on his private plane on Saturday.

His son, Gunner, is already committed to the Wolfpack and listed as the fourth-best quarterback in the Class of 2027, according to 247Sports. The four-star quarterback already plays for his father at St. Michael.

Manny Diaz (Duke)

Duke’s head coach is an intriguing prospect for the Wolfpack. Manny Diaz is in his third season with the Blue Devils and currently holds a 23-11 record overall and is 13-7 in ACC play. Though hiring a Duke coach might seem unconventional, Diaz worked for the Wolfpack from 2000 to 2005. He first served as a graduate assistant and spent time coaching linebackers, safeties and special teams.

Mike Shanahan, Bryant Haines (Indiana)

Mike Shanahan, the Indiana offensive coordinator, is a potential candidate for the job. Shanahan has worked under Curt Cignetti since 2016, making stops at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Elon and James Madison.

Shanahan helped Cignetti guide Elon and JMU to the FCS playoffs in five straight seasons. When the Dukes jumped to FBS, the duo led James Madison to back-to-back first-place finishes in the Sun Belt.

The Hoosiers are 34-3 in the Cignetti era and went 16-0 a season ago, capping the season with the national championship. The team led the nation in team passing efficiency (185.02), third-down conversion percentage (56.5%) and was second in total offensive first downs (380). IU averaged 41.6 points per game in 2025 and 40.3 during its playoff run.

Indiana is currently 7-1. The team has a top 25 scoring offense (36.6 points per game) and ranks No. 3 in FBS for team passing efficiency (183.9).

This would be Shanahan’s first head coaching job.

Jake Dickert (Wake Forest)

Wake Forest appears to have an up-and-coming star on its hands in head coach Jake Dickert.

The Demon Deacons went 9-4 in his first season and picked up a win in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. They’re sitting at 5-1 this season and are ranked in the AP Top 25.

Additionally, Wake Forest has won four games a row, including blowout victories over Stanford, N.C. State and California. It had a chance to beat then-No. 5 Miami but fourth-quarter mistakes cost the Deacs a signature win.

Dickert is in his second head coaching job after compiling a 23-20 record at Washington State. It’s unclear whether he would be a long-term guy, though, with many expecting Dickert to pursue opportunities closer to his home in Wisconsin.

His defensive counterpart, Bryant Haines, could also be an option for the Wolfpack. Haines has worked with Cignetti and Shanahan since their Elon days. He won the 2025 Broyles Award and AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year Award.

Under Haines, the Hoosiers have put together one of the nation’s top defenses in all three seasons. It ranked second in FBS for scoring defense in 2024 and 2025, while sitting at No. 4 this season.

This would also be Haines’ first head coaching job, if the Pack were to offer him.

Jason Eck (New Mexico)

One name some football fans might not be familiar with? Jason Eck. The New Mexico head coach is 14-5 through 1½ seasons with the Lobos. He went 9-4 in Year 1, including 6-2 in conference play to win the Mountain West. The Lobos sit atop the league again at 2-0.

Prior to making the jump to G5, Eck spent three seasons at FCS Idaho. He finished his tenure with the Vandals boasting a 26-13 record and a 10-win season in 2024. Eck led Idaho to the FCS Playoffs in all three seasons and never finished worse than third in the Big Sky.

He hasn’t held a full-time coaching job on the Power Four level — he was a graduate assistant at Wisconsin and Colorado — but his resume and his teams’ statistics make him an intriguing option.

Charles Huff (Memphis)

Charles Huff was once a contender for the Duke job, prior to Mike Elko’s hiring. Now that the Wolfpack has an opening, Huff could get a look from N.C. State’s top leaders and donors.

Huff currently serves as head coach at Memphis, where he is 6-2 overall this season and 3-1 in the American. He is the reason former N.C. State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson is at Marshall. Huff went 32-20 with the Thundering Herd, leading the program to a bowl game in all four seasons. His contract, however, was not renewed in 2024.

After leaving Marshall, Huff spent one season at Southern Miss before making the move to Memphis. He previously had assistant coaching stops at Penn State, Mississippi State and Alabama.

Huff worked as the Crimson Tide’s associate head coach and running backs coach under Nick Saban in 2019 and 2020. The Tide went 14-2 across the two seasons, including 13-0 and a national title in 2020.

Shannon Dawson (Miami)

N.C. State could stay within the ACC and try to nab Dawson, Miami’s offensive coordinator. Dawson has been with the Hurricanes since 2023 and has been a driving force behind the team’s surge back into the national spotlight.

In his first season, Dawson led the offense to No. 39 in scoring offense after ranking 97th a year prior. Dawson then landed quarterback Cam Ward, whose transfer from Washington helped him become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He set multiple school records, including the most passing yards, passing touchdowns and total touchdowns. That year, the Hurricanes finished No. 1 in scoring offense.

Last year, the Hurricanes made it to the national championship game behind quarterback Carson Beck. They look like a playoff contender once again with former Duke QB Darian Mensah in the backfield.

Dawson’s scheme has allowed players like wide receiver Malachi Toney, running back Mark Fletcher and offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa to thrive. Toney and Mauigoa earned All-America honors a year ago, and Toney and Mensah were named to the AP midseason All-America teams.

Buster Faulkner (Florida)

The first-year Florida OC is looking for his first job as the man in charge, but he’s got a lot of big-time experience. Buster Faulkner won two national championships at Georgia, where he served as the offensive quality control coach and worked with the quarterbacks from 2020-22.

He also spent three seasons at Georgia Tech, helping guide Haynes King to ACC Player of the Year honors. Faulkner led the Yellow Jackets to an 8-0 start before running into N.C. State, which handed Georgia Tech its first loss of the year. The team finished 9-4 after a four-point loss to BYU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

This year at Florida, he’s helped the Gators’ offense tremendously. Last year, UF finished the season ranked 109 in scoring (21.6 points per game) and through seven games of 2026, the team is ranked No. 11 (39.6).

Georgia Tech, meanwhile, has suffered without him and King. The Yellow Jackets are 85th nationally in scoring after finishing in the top 30 last fall.

Other coaches NC State could consider

Eli Drinkwitz: Drinkwitz is the head coach at Missouri and coached on Dave Doeren’s staff as the offensive coordinator. He also spent a season as the man in charge at Appalachian State before the Tigers picked him up. He is 51-31 at Missouri. His salary is $9 million per year, and it’s unclear whether he’d want to leave his SEC posting.

Jamey Chadwell: Chadwell is the coach of the Liberty Flames, currently 6-1 and tied for first in Conference USA. He has ties to the Atlantic Coast after spending six seasons at Coastal Carolina. He holds a 129-71 all-time record as a head coach.

Glenn Schumann: Schumann serves as Georgia’s defensive coordinator. He has never played college football but spent seven years working under Nick Saban as a student assistant and graduate assistant. He went on to earn his first job with the Bulldogs, where he’s coached inside linebackers since 2016 and added coordinator duties in 2019. Schumann was a member of six national championship teams as either an assistant, administrator or coach.

Billy Napier (James Madison): Napier’s time at Florida didn’t go as he wanted, but he’s 7-0 in his first season at JMU. He also made head coaching stops at three different schools, making him one of the more experienced options.

This story was originally published October 24, 2026 at 11:26 PM with the headline "NC State football needs a new coach. Who are some of the intriguing prospects?."