Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson interviewed for the head football coaching job at his alma mater North Carolina State University on Tuesday, sources tell Adam Schefter.

Wilson accomplished as much as any other quarterback in Seahawks history. Over 10 seasons in Seattle, he started 158 games, made nine Pro Bowls and led the franchise to its first championship in Super Bowl XLVIII. More than that, though, he represented hope to Seahawks fans.

When he won the starting quarterback job as a rookie with an outstanding preseason, he instantly became the talk of the town. By December, there were more WILSON #3 jerseys than any other athlete in the city. That 2012 team made it to the divisional round of the NFC playoffs, and despite losing to the top-seeded Atlanta Falcons, the Seahawks could feel a new hope emerging. The city’s treatment of Wilson wasn’t far off from the way the Rebels treated Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. It was messianic.

It’s easy to forget the hope Wilson brought Seattleites. Many dwell on the unceremonious ending. But one trait he’s shown the entire time is maturity. He knows how to handle the media and be the figurehead of an organization with class. He’s been beloved and criticized by the same fanbase several times. All in all, he’s an icon of the sport who would certainly bring sway to a college football program. He has juice.

Fellow NC State quarterback Philip Rivers is also a prominent candidate for the head coaching job. Uniquely, both are NFL greats who played in the league last season. It would be fascinating for the people of Seattle — who are about as removed from anything going on in North Carolina as could be — to follow another Russell Wilson Era. Maybe he’d even come to recruit his former home state.

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