Nov 21, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren after a game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Will The Wolfpack Sell Out for Gunner Rivers?

Originally posted on NC State Wolfpack on SI
By Caleb Sisk | Last updated Aug 16, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The North Carolina State Wolfpack have had a great 2026 recruiting class, which has allowed them to put a lot of their focus into other things. It has become more visible that the North Carolina State Wolfpack staff has been evaluating new prospects, offering new prospects, and really starting to push hard for a handful of these guys that they want to commit early on.

The Wolfpack have already started to look into guys that they want to commit and have already started to separate other guys as their top targets in the 2027 recruiting class. They’ve already landed one commitment in the class, as that commitment comes from inside the city of Raleigh, North Carolina, and is a running back in the state of North Carolina.

What the Wolfpack will likely hope is next is a quarterback commit, although they will take any commitment in the class that they can get as long as it is a committable target, which is a player who has a committable offer as some of these offers that they will hand out on exactly committable at that time and they will need to see more from that prospect.

Will The Wolfpack Sell Out for Gunner Rivers?

One player that we know for a fact has a committable offer is their top quarterback target in the 2027 recruiting class and a top five quarterback on recruiting services, with that quarterback being the son of a former NFL star and the son of the former NC State Wolfpack quarterback.

The player being discussed is Gunner Rivers, who is the son of former NFL QB and legend in his own right Philip Rivers. The son of the NFL legend plays high school football with his father being the head football coach and is the top target for the Wolfpack at the position without a doubt.

That leads to many asking if it’s all or nothing with Rivers to NC State. The simple answer is that it is determined by certain things. These things include when he commits, who he commits to, and who is left on the recruiting board following his commitment to the NC State Wolfpack. Just because we know Rivers is the top quarterback in the class for talent.

Wolfpack doesn’t mean they aren’t talking to other players at the position. They are targeting many players at the quarterback position despite Rivers being the number one guy at the position, and they will continue to recruit this position because it is an extremely important piece to the puzzle, no matter what quarterback room you have entering this season.

While it can seem to be all or nothing, signs currently point that the Wolfpack will turn to someone else if they can’t land Rivers, although they sit in a solid spot with him thus far.

This article first appeared on NC State Wolfpack on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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