Gunner Rivers is headed back to Raleigh.
The NC State commit, a Top-50 recruit and the No. 4 quarterback in the 2027 class, confirmed to Pack Power on Friday that he’ll be on campus for the Louisville game. Rivers is still recovering from an injury he suffered on Aug. 22, but he’ll make his second game-day trip to Carter-Finley Stadium alongside his father, Philip Rivers, before enrolling with the Wolfpack in January.
Pack Power first reported the visit Friday morning.
This won’t be new territory for Rivers. He’s been around the program plenty already, including a trip to Raleigh last year for the closed Spring Game and another for NC State’s 42-19 win over UNC-Chapel Hill in November. Earlier this year, he was back at the Lenovo Center for a basketball game, then returned for an official visit in June after making his commitment in February.
Each time, Rivers said, the reception from NC State fans has stood out.
"When I went out there, you see some people howling my name," Rivers told Pack Power. "When I went to the game versus UNC, people in the student section were chanting my name.
That gave me some confidence. I don't know, it just felt good.
I don't really have an exact word to describe the feeling - it just felt right."
Rivers entered the season with plenty of buzz, carrying that Top-50 ranking and his No. 4 quarterback label in the 247Sports rankings. His career numbers back up the hype: 10,510 passing yards, 114 touchdowns and only 15 interceptions, plus 292 rushing yards and six scores on the ground as a starter since his freshman year.
So what kind of player is NC State getting when he arrives in January as an early enrollee?
"I'm just a guy that loves to compete, and I just love the game of football," Rivers said. "I'm going to put everything into it.
I'm not one of those guys that's into all the stuff that comes with football. Obviously, I like to be around my teammates and all that, of course.
I'm trying to go to NC State to get better at football, win games, and just build relationships with all my teammates."
Rivers won’t be the only committed player on campus for the game. NC State is also expected to host 12 committed prospects, including Jake Godfree, Alex Scott, AK Crumel, Christian Freeman, Colt Hauser, CJ Jordan, Bryson Hurt and Moses Barker. Brynnen Thompson, OT Jackson Snelling, OL Josiah Eney and Isaiah Woodburn are also listed among those expected to attend.
In Other News...
Dave Doeren Loved How NC State Answered In Winning Time
Dave Doeren came away impressed with the way NC State handled the most important stretch of its 31-28 win over Louisville, pointing first to the teams focus and effort when the game tightened. After meeting with the media, the Wolfpack coach singled out CJ Bailey, Harvey Dyson III and the offensive line as central to the outcome, while also making sure to credit the home crowd for the energy it brought throughout the game.
Even with the victory in hand, Doeren did not sound ready to let the Wolfpack settle in too comfortably. He acknowledged there are still areas on defense that need to improve, a reminder that winning close games can expose as much as it rewards. For NC State, the challenge now is carrying over the poise it showed in winning time while cleaning up the details that nearly turned a good night into a tense one. [Read more 🡒]
NC State May Be Underselling Its Most Efficient Red Zone Weapon
Will Wilson has already carved out a very specific role for NC State, and it has been a productive one. The backup quarterback has turned limited offensive snaps into six rushing touchdowns, tying him for the ACC lead, while averaging around five yards per carry in short-yardage situations that have become his calling card.
NC State has clearly found a dependable red zone piece in Wilson, but the bigger question is whether the Wolfpack are using him to his full value. His effectiveness in tight spaces suggests there may be more room to expand how he is deployed, and for an offense that could use every edge near the goal line, that feels like a storyline worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Harvey Dyson May Have Just Saved NC States Season
NC States season has had a familiar feel at times lately, with strong starts giving way to uneasy finishes, and Saturdays game against Louisville looked headed in that same direction after the Wolfpack faded after a sharp first half. But the defense found a defining moment when Harvey Dyson forced a fumble that NC State recovered, setting up the go-ahead field goal in a 31-28 win.
Dave Doeren made sure to single out Dyson after the game, praising the play in his postgame press conference, and it was easy to see why. In a stretch where NC State needed something to steady it, Dyson delivered the kind of snap that can change more than one result, giving the Wolfpack a win that could loom large as the season goes on. [Read more 🡒]