NC State legacy recruit Gunner Rivers debuts as top-60 prospect
By Ethan McDowell
NC State football fans have a new legacy recruit to watch closely over the next few years. Gunner Rivers, the son of legendary Wolfpack and NFL quarterback Philip Rivers, has emerged as an elite prospect in the 2027 recruiting class.
On3 released its top-100 rankings for the rising sophomore class Monday morning. Rivers, who kicked off his second season as a starter for Fairhope (Ala.) St. Michael Catholic High last week, debuted as the No. 60 recruit in the country. The four-star sophomore ranks as the No. 8 quarterback nationally and the No. 3 prospect in Alabama.
Rivers already holds an offer from the Wolfpack, per a source, after putting up impressive numbers as a freshman. The 6-2, 175 pound sophomore quarterback does not have any social media, so the rest of his collegiate offers/interest remain unknown.
During the first game of his freshman season, Rivers immediately showed off his arm talent with a 330-yard, 3 touchdown performance. St. Michael Catholic went 6-5 during that year, and he threw for 3,077 yards with a 63.3 completion percentage, tossing 29 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
Rivers threw for 516 yards, a season high by more than 100 yards, in the final game of his first season. Last fall, he also ran the ball 16 times for 59 yards and 2 scores, and the class of 2027 prospect caught a touchdown pass.
His father Philip is statistically the best quarterback in NC State history. Before embarking on a 17-year NFL career that included 16 seasons with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers and 63,440 passing yards, he was an absolute superstar in Raleigh.
The elder Rivers won the 2003 ACC Player of the Year Award and holds an NCAA record with 51 consecutive starts under center. His 13,484 career passing yards rank No. 19 in college football history.
Rivers is the head coach and offensive coordinator at St. Michael Catholic back in his home state. His squad started the 2024 season 1-0 last week with a 31-0 victory over Irvington (Ala.) Bryant High.
