Philip Rivers Son Gunner Commits to NC State, Gives Wolfpack a Major Quarterback Win

NC State added one of the biggest early pieces in its 2027 recruiting class on Monday when four star quarterback Gunner Rivers announced his commitment to the Wolfpack, continuing a family connection that already runs deep in Raleigh. Gunner Rivers is the son of former NC State quarterback Philip Rivers, who starred for the program before a long NFL career.

Gunner Rivers is a junior at St. Michael Catholic High School in Alabama and is listed at 6 foot 3 and 200 pounds. He committed to NC State over reported offers from Auburn, Boston College, Miami, and South Carolina. His decision gives NC State a high profile quarterback pledge well ahead of the 2027 signing cycle and immediately raises the profile of the Wolfpack’s class.

The recruiting rankings back up the attention. He is listed as ESPN’s No. 11 pocket passer in the 2027 class and the No. 142 overall prospect in the cycle. Another major recruiting evaluation cited him even higher nationally, placing him as the No. 42 overall prospect in the 2027 class and among the top quarterback prospects in the country. Those numbers put him among the most notable quarterback commitments NC State has landed in recent years.

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The production on the field is also substantial. During his junior season at St. Michael Catholic, Rivers threw for 2,813 yards with 44 touchdown passes and only five interceptions. Another detailed stat line from his 2025 season lists him at 237 completions on 343 attempts for 3,176 passing yards, 46 touchdown passes, and five interceptions, plus 196 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown on 33 carries. The difference in the passing totals comes from source tracking methods, but both sets of numbers show the same trend: high volume production, strong touchdown totals, and low interception numbers.

His team success matches the numbers. St. Michael Catholic went 13 and 1 during the 2025 season, and Rivers helped lead the program to another deep postseason run in Alabama’s Class 4A bracket. He was also recognized with an Alabama Sports Writers Association Super All State selection and was named a finalist for 4A Back of the Year. Those honors followed multiple productive seasons as the starter, with reports noting he has not thrown for fewer than 3,000 yards in any season since taking over the job.

The family storyline is the obvious headline, and it is a real one. Philip Rivers played at NC State from 2000 through 2003 and remains one of the most productive quarterbacks in school and ACC history. His career passing yardage total of 13,848 still stands as the top mark in NC State history and the ACC record, and it remains among the top totals in NCAA history. During his senior season in 2003, he led all FBS passers in completion percentage at 72 percent and was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year.

Philip Rivers went on to become the No. 4 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, spent most of his career with the Chargers, and also played for the Colts. That background has made Gunner Rivers one of the most watched quarterback recruits in the 2027 class from the moment his recruitment picked up. Gunner also plays for his father at St. Michael Catholic, which has made the NC State connection a topic throughout his recruiting process.

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For NC State, the commitment matters beyond the family name. Rivers is currently the top ranked pledge in the Wolfpack’s 2027 class, and he is the only top 300 caliber commitment in the group at this stage. The timing also gives the staff a quarterback centerpiece early in the cycle, which can help shape the rest of the class as the next year of recruiting visits and evaluations unfolds.

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