The Impact of Gunner Rivers Committing to NC State
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RALEIGH — The importance of earning a commitment from four-star legacy quarterback Gunner Rivers can't be understated for NC State. This is a massive moment for a program that desperately needed a major victory on the recruiting trail for several years. Now, the Wolfpack has a level of momentum in the high school space it hasn't had out of its home state in some time.
While Rivers won't join the Wolfpack until 2027, the impact of his commitment should increase NC State's ability to recruit in his class throughout the next few months. If coach Dave Doeren's recruiting staff can utilize this development to build a strong group around the signal caller, the future of NC State football should be brighter than it's been in decades.
How Rivers impacts NC State
BREAKING: St. Michael’s ‘27 QB Gunner Rivers has committed to NC State.
— Larry Rudolph (@ScoutFball) February 23, 2026
The 6-foot-4, 220 pound quarterback has completer 73% of his passes for 10,200 yards, 111 touchdowns. pic.twitter.com/syOsrmYurQ
The name "Rivers" still means a great deal in Raleigh. In the early 2000s, NC State football played at a level relatively unknown to the program's fans, in large part because of the leadership of a young, talented quarterback named Philip Rivers. 23 years later, Philip's son will don the Wolfpack uniform and offer a sense of hope and nostalgia for a fan base that becomes hungrier for a winner with each passing season.
The weight of wearing the NC State jersey won't be light on Gunner, but the youngster and his family appear ready for the challenge. It won't hurt that Rivers already put together an impressive highlight reel in three seasons of high school football at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Ala. His coach, Philip, knows a thing or two about what makes a great quarterback.
Congrats to our QB on his commitment to NC State @PackFootball @StateCoachD @CoachKurtRoper @CoachAlexFaulk #NuncCoepi pic.twitter.com/5Q8lnKuSgO
— St. Michael Football (@StMichaelFB) February 23, 2026
The timing of the Rivers commitment comes at a key moment for NC State as a program. Doeren and his staff went all in to support returning quarterback CJ Bailey during the 2026 offseason to give the team a serious chance at competing in the ACC in the coming campaign. If all goes according to plan, Bailey will be waiting eagerly to hear his name called in the NFL draft in the spring of 2027.
Around that time, Rivers will arrive on campus for the first time, assuming he makes a similar decision to many high schoolers and enrolls in the spring rather than waiting to get on campus and into the program during the summer. The pressure already exists, but the decision on whether to start Rivers as a freshman or give him time to acclimate will be one Doeren and offensive coordinator Kurt Roper think about throughout the 2027 offseason.
Gunner Rivers commits to NC State…
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) February 24, 2026
The son of you know who pic.twitter.com/1spqMux48g
The connection to the Rivers family and the St. Michael program already paid dividends for NC State. Three-star 2026 running back Noah Moss joined the program as a member of the class of 2026. He took to social media to celebrate his former quarterback coming with him to Raleigh a year later, captioning an X post that included a photo of the pair at Carter-Finley Stadium, "teammates again!"
There will undoubtedly be some attraction to NC State to high school recruits, particularly on the offensive end, as there's now a clear future at quarterback. If everything goes to plan, Rivers offers the Wolfpack an heir apparent to the already successful Bailey, which should also help the retention process over the next two seasons.
While Doeren is often boastful about NC State's ability to identify undervalued prospects and turn them into quality football players, Rivers exists in a different realm than the usual Wolfpack prospect pool. The 2026 class included just one four-star in wide receiver Amiri Acker, who needed a late update in the process to gain that fourth star.
Rivers changed the reputation of the Pack, as the program beat out SEC teams like Auburn and South Carolina, ensuring the son of a quarterback whose name adorns the wall of Carter-Finley Stadium wouldn't go anywhere else. The early and strong start to the 2027 class signifies a new confidence in Doeren's ability to attract top-tier talent to Raleigh. Now, it's time to build on that.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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