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Four-star QB Gunner Rivers commits to NC State, follows in father’s footsteps

image_6483441 (3)by: Noah Fleischman02/23/26fleischman_noah

His father’s name adorns the side of Carter-Finley Stadium. Now, Fairhope (Ala.) St. Michael Catholic four-star quarterback Gunner Rivers is set to follow in his footsteps.

The youngest son of Wolfpack legend Philip Rivers committed to NC State on Monday afternoon over the likes of Alabama and Auburn, among other ACC and SEC interest. He is the program’s fourth commit in the the class of 2027, joining running back Christian Freeman, tight end Griffin Cockerham and safety Kamarion Johnson.

Rivers, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound quarterback, picked the Wolfpack after making two recruiting trips to Raleigh over the past year. He was on campus for a spring practice last year before he made the trek to watch NC State beat North Carolina 42-19 alongside his parents and high school teammate, running back Noah Moss, who committed to the Wolfpack three days later as a part of the program’s 2026 recruiting class.

Moss, who noted he’d like to play with Rivers in college after his own commitment, raved about his quarterback’s skill set.

“He’s a true competitor. I think he gets a lot of that from his dad. If you watch them play football, they look the same too,” Moss told TheWolfpacker.com. “He wants to win more than anyone else wants to win. He’ll do whatever he has to do to win, and that’s something you need in a quarterback. He’ll go and get it done, no matter how he has to get it done.”

The No. 117 overall recruit in 2027 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry rankings, Rivers has thrown for 10,200 yards with 111 touchdowns and just 15 interceptions on an efficient 64.9 percent completion rate through his first three high school seasons. He logged a career-best 46 touchdown passes as a junior this past fall alone, while he racked up 3,176 yards on a most-productive 69.1 percent completion rate.

Although he has one season left of playing under his father in Alabama’s prep ranks, Rivers is ready to take the next step in his football career at the very program that Philip helped elevate as a four-year starter.