NC State football's head coach opening has centered around a former star Wolfpack quarterback in the opening days of the search.

So the news a former NC State QB interviewed for the position shouldn't have come as a surprise Tuesday night... but then when that quarterback's name was Russell Wilson, and not Philip Rivers, well, wow.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Wilson, who played three seasons at NC State before transferring to Wisconsin for his final season, interviewed for the Wolfpack head coach job.

Rivers has been the presumptive favorite for the position since it became open when Dave Doeren was fired on Oct. 24. Rivers, who has his No. 17 jersey retired in Raleigh, is a high school football coach in Alabama with no college coaching experience. But that's more than Wilson.

Wilson, an NFL analyst with CBS Sports, retired from the NFL after spending the 2025 season with the New York Giants. The 10-time Pro Bowler is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in modern NFL history and led the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl win in 2013.

Wilson is widely regarded as the second-best quarterback in North Carolina State history, next to Rivers. Wilson scored 93 total touchdowns in three seasons with the Wolfpack, ranking fourth all-time in passing yards (8,545) in school history.

Rivers ranks first all-time in passing touchdowns (95), one spot ahead of Wilson, who threw for 76 touchdowns at NC State.

North Carolina State could still hire a coach with head coaching experience, but Wilson and Rivers reportedly being in the mix for the job makes for an interesting hiring decision for the Wolfpack.