​The North Carolina State Board of Trustees has made it official, naming Philip Rivers to lead the Wolfpack football team in the coming years.After weeks of speculation, the board officially announced that the former Wolfpack quarterback is the new head coach on Friday. Rivers signed a five-year deal.”I gave it everything I had here as a player for 51 games, and I will give it everything I have as the coach,” Rivers said Friday. “There’s no denying that this is going to take hard work, but we’re not scared of hard. I look forward to getting after it every single day with an unbelievable coaching staff and a group of players who are dedicated to relentlessly pursuing victory.”ABC11 first reported on Wednesday that the board would vote on the deal during Friday’s meeting.Rivers played quarterback at NC State from 2000 to 2003, and just wrapped up his sixth season as head coach of St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama. Rivers, who has never coached in college, led the Cardinals to the state playoff semifinals the previous two seasons.”His love for this university is apparent (four) years ago when I met him. It’s just continued to grow, and he’s just really excited about the opportunity, and I feel like he’s part of our DNA in who we are. ‘Hard, tough, together’ comes from one of his speeches. ‘Wolfpack ain’t for soft people.’ I think he really understands who we are and what our fan base is,” said McMurray Family Director of Athletics Boo Coorigan.On Friday afternoon, ABC11 obtained Rivers’ employment contract, which runs through the end of 2031.Rivers will make $2.437 million per year, with a $100,000 annual increase in 2028. He’ll also receive annual supplemental compensation starting at $812,500. There are also incentives in his contract for winning a certain number of games, as well as for bowl game appearances and berths in the college football playoffs.The change came after the university fired coach Dave Doeren, midway through his 14-year tenure. The shakeup also included the firing of the general manager and the defensive coordinator.Other perks for Philip Rivers include:- Country club/golf membership paid by NC State- Private suite for home football games (20 tickets)- 6 men’s basketball tickets for regular season home games- 2 courtesy vehicles https://t.co/Y5rU2qYSjS— Travon Miles (@TrayABC11) November 13, 2026″Philip has been a long-standing son of this university. We’re excited to have him here. Happy to bring him back. Looking forward to winning championships. Looking forward to what he can do,” said Board of Trustees Chair Edwin Stack III.Rivers quickly emerged as the favorite to replace Doeren.The 44-year-old had told NC State that he wanted to finish the current high school season, and St. Michael’s season ended Friday night.Rivers broke nearly every NC State and ACC record during his career, throwing for 13,484 yards with 95 touchdowns. He led the Wolfpack to four straight bowl games under coach Chuck Amato, winn