Phil Steele Names Georgia Tech's Eric Rivers and Keylan Rutledge Preseason 2nd Team All-Americans

Rivers, a graduate transfer from Florida International, caught 62 passes for 1,162 yards (18.9 avg.) and 12 touchdowns as a redshirt junior at FIU last season. He became the first Associated Press all-American in FIU history when he received third-team recognition in 2024, and was also a first-team all-Conference USA honoree.

Rutledge is also coming off an all-America campaign, having received first-team honors from Sports Info Solutions as a junior in 2024. He earned the recognition on the strength of ranking in the top 10 nationally among offensive linemen in SIS’s Total Points metric, including a top-five national ranking in run-blocking Total Points. In pass protection, the junior had only two “blown blocks” in nearly 400 regular-season attempts, according to SIS. He also helped anchor a Georgia Tech offensive front that ranked third nationally in fewest sacks allowed (nine in 13 games) and paved the way for the Yellow Jackets to rank second in the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing offense (187.0 ypg).

In addition to their second-team all-America honors, Rivers and Rutledge were also among nine Jackets that earned preseason all-ACC recognition from Phil Steele:

First Team

WR Eric Rivers (r-Sr., Chattanooga, Tenn./McCallie School)

OG Keylan Rutledge (Sr., Royston, Ga./Franklin County H.S.)

DL Jordan van den Berg (r-Sr., Johannesburg, South Africa/Providence Christian Academy (Ga.))

Second Team

RB Jamal Haynes (r-Sr., Loganville, Ga./Grayson H.S.)

LB Kyle Efford (r-Jr., Dacula, Ga./Dacula H.S.)

Third Team

WR Malik Rutherford (r-Sr., Miami, Fla./Champagnat Catholic School)

Fourth Team

QB Haynes King (r-Sr., Longview, Texas/Longview H.S.)

CB Ahmari Harvey (r-Sr., Tallahassee, Fla./Florida State University School)

P Marshall Nichols (Sr., Atlanta, Ga./Holy Innocents Episcopal School)

CBS Sports analyst Will Backus named the top incoming transfer for every ACC school and listed Rivers as the guy to know:

"Georgia Tech has the pieces to push for the ACC in 2025, but it did need another standout receiver after losing top option Eric Singleton Jr. Enter Rivers, who should be a reliable target for quarterback Haynes King fresh off a 1,000-yard receiving season at Florida International."

In a recent ranking of the top 100 transfers of the offseason, ESPN's Max Olson rated Rivers as the 89th best transfer of the offseason:

HT: 5-11 | WT: 175 | Class: Redshirt junior

Background: "After getting off to a slow start over two seasons at Memphis, Rivers entered the portal and developed into the top receiver in Conference USA this past season. He ranks fifth nationally in receiving yards, turning 62 receptions into 1,172 yards and 12 touchdowns, and set a school record with a 295-yard performance against New Mexico State on Oct. 29. Rivers had four more 100-yard games on the season."

Scout's take: "Rivers is not the biggest, which is why he may have slipped under the radar out of high school but he's plenty quick and elusive. He's a big-play weapon who consistently beats defenders vertically with great acceleration and tempo as a route runner. He's slippery with the ball in his hands but more of a big-catch receiver than a big-play-after-the-catch receiver. One of the best deep threats who was available in the portal."

What he brings to Georgia Tech: "Georgia Tech lost its leading receiver to the portal in Eric Singleton but did a nice job replacing him with a highly productive receiver who had significant Power 4 interest. Adding Rivers to the returning trio of Haynes King, Jamal Haynes and Malik Rutherford should be fun to watch next fall."

Earlier in the offseason, 247Sports analyst Cooper Petagna talked about the potential for Rivers to be an instant impact player right away for the Yellow Jackets:

"After losing Eric Singleton Jr. to the transfer portal, Rivers' acquisition became even more vital to Georgia Tech coach Brent Key. At 5-foot-11, Rivers predominantly lined up outside at FIU in 2024. A promising sign for a receiver his size, he still managed to account for more than 1,200 yards and nearly 19 yards per reception last season."

Rivers caught 62 passes for 1,172 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 18.9 yards per catch. The thing to know about Rivers is that he possesses elite speed and the 5'11 174 LBS receiver from Chattanooga, TN would help replace that element in the offense that Singleton had. Rivers had plenty of suitors, with Miami, Nebraska, and other big-time programs coming after him.

At Pro Football Focus, Rivers was the highest-graded player on Florida International last season, finishing with an 83.2 grade in 614 snaps.

Rivers was banged up in the spring, but he has the talent to be an impact player for one of the ACC's best teams next fall.

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