Bold Prediction Has NC State Landing Elite 2027 Quarterback
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NC State head coach Dave Doeren and his staff have been making a lot of noise on the 2027 recruiting trail in recent weeks, as the Wolfpack continue to trend for some of the nation’s top prospects.
Doeren and company are currently in a strong position with several of their top 2027 targets, including a four-star legacy quarterback whom one analyst recently predicted would commit to NC State.
NC State Predicted to Land 4-Star Legacy Quarterback
One of NC State’s top targets in the 2027 class is Gunner Rivers, a four-star quarterback from St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama. The Wolpack first offered him in May 2024 and has been actively pursuing him since.
While Rivers is a highly touted quarterback recruit in his own right, he is also the son of NC State legend and 18-year NFL veteran Philip Rivers, who to this day is the Wolfpack's all-time leading passer.
The St. Michael Catholic star has established himself as one of the top signal-callers in the 2027 class. He is coming off a strong junior season, where, according to MaxPreps, he recorded 3,176 yards, 46 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
NC State and Rivers have shown mutual interest in each other throughout his recruitment, and the Wolfpack have emerged as the frontrunner for the four-star quarterback.
As NC State continues to trend in the right direction with Rivers, 247Sports’ NC State insider Michael Clark recently logged a Crystal Ball prediction for the Wolfpack to win his recruitment.
NC State has received a Crystal Ball to land legacy QB Gunner Rivers in the 2027 class.@MichaelClark247 explains how the Wolfpack staff has made up ground in the last couple of months to put itself in prime position to land the Top-10 QB.
— PackPower247 (@PackPower247) February 19, 2026
🔮: https://t.co/VDaA11BNdt pic.twitter.com/G9FyiOcZmw
While Clark’s prediction doesn’t necessarily guarantee that the Wolfpack will land Rivers, it is a positive sign for NC State fans, especially considering the analyst is over 87% accurate on his all-time Crystal Ball picks.
Clark is now the second analyst to predict that NC State will come out on top in Rivers’ recruitment, as Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong predicted the same outcome earlier this month.
If Wilftong and Clark’s predictions prove correct, Rivers would be a massive addition to NC State’s class. 247Sports’ composite rankings list the 6’3”, 205-pound signal-caller as the No. 90 overall player in the country, the No. 7 quarterback, and the No. 2 prospect in Alabama.
While it’s clear NC State is currently in the driver’s seat for Rivers, the Wolfpack will still face competition from several other programs, including Auburn, Boston College, Miami, and South Carolina.
Still, given Rivers’ ties to the program, his recruitment is currently NC State’s to lose. If the Wolfpack continue to make progress with him in the coming months, they should be well-positioned to land one of the top quarterbacks in the 2027 class.
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Max Dorsey serves as the Western United States College Recruiting Beat Writer On SI. He graduated from the prestigious Syracuse University – S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Before that, he worked for the Pro Football Network and was part of the recruiting department for Syracuse University's football program.