This week, Philip Rivers has had to deal with something few high school football coaches do: speculation about a Power Four head-coaching position.

Then again, Rivers isn’t your average prep coach and for Rivers, NC State isn’t your average school.

From virtually the moment the Wolfpack fired Dave Doeren on Oct. 24, seven games into his 14th season with the program, Rivers’ name was attached to the vacancy at the university where he was the 2003 ACC player of the year and where his No. 17 jersey is retired.

Now the head coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama, Rivers was asked after his team’s game Friday, Oct. 30 about the reports linking him to the Wolfpack, some of which describe him as one of the focuses of the search.

While respectful, he didn’t exactly deny interest.

“Shoot, NC State’s special to me,” Rivers said to AL.com. “Coach Doeren, shoot, what he did there for 14 years, all-time winningest coach, I have a ton of respect and appreciation for how he went about it with the university. There’s nothing there at this point. You understand the chatter that’s out there. You’ve gotta take it one day at a time. That’s all I know. I’m excited about this postseason with these guys here. You never say never. But there’s nothing imminent.”

It’s not the first time Rivers’ name has been connected to a prominent job. Back in January, one month after finishing a three-game quarterbacking stint with the Indianapolis Colts that had brought him out of retirement, Rivers interviewed for the vacant Buffalo Bills head coaching job that ultimately went to Joe Brady.

Rivers is in his sixth season at St. Michael’s, where he has gone 48-20 and made runs to the Class 4A state semifinals each of the past two seasons. The Alabama native’s team this year had a six-game win streak snapped in a 53-32 loss to Foley High School on Friday and will open up with a first-round game in the state playoffs next week.

There’s more than just chatter and his personal history tying him to the Wolfpack. Rivers’ son, Gunner, St. Michael’s quarterback and a four-star recruit in the 2027 class, is an NC State commit, having given a pledge to Doeren and his staff in February.

“You talk about NC State, that makes things a little bit different in terms of your love for the place,” Rivers said to AL.com. “The NFL last year with the Buffalo thing was intriguing and exciting. I don’t even know where I stood in that whole mix, but going through that process was exciting, as well… Shoot, we love it here. We’ve poured everything we have into this place.”

Rivers is one of the greatest players in NC State history, having thrown for 13,484 yards and 95 touchdowns over four seasons, from 2000-03. He went on to play 18 seasons in the NFL, where he threw for 63,984 yards and 425 touchdowns. Though his return to play for the Colts last season threw off his timeline for induction, he’s an almost certain inclusion in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.