NC State’s future at quarterback has taken a hit this fall, but the latest update on Gunner Rivers points toward a return sooner rather than later.
Rivers, the Fairhope (Ala.) St.
Michael standout and NC State commit, has been sidelined since Week 1 after suffering a lower body injury in the first quarter of the Cardinals’ season opener. That absence has stretched on for several weeks, but Philip Rivers said the recovery is moving in the right direction.
During an appearance on the “Move the Sticks” podcast with Daniel Jeremiah of ESPN, Philip Rivers, who serves as St. Michael’s head coach and is Gunner’s father, described the quarterback’s progress.
"He's doing a lot better," Philip Rivers said. "Those first two weeks were rough.
As a young player, he hasn't been through an injury of any sorts. He's always been out there and been available to us, so for him it was hard.
And then you're on crutches for 14 days, so he couldn't walk and you don't even feel like a regular person. Moving around the house, I got tired of him asking me for something to drink and to bring his meal in the evening.
"But he's back and around. He ran a little bit yesterday, so we're going to get him back for the home stretch and I think that will be a shot in the arm for everybody."
Rivers entered the season as one of the most highly regarded players in the country, ranked in the Top 50 by 247Sports and listed as the No. 4 quarterback nationally. His résumé is already loaded: 10,510 passing yards, 114 touchdown passes and just 15 interceptions, along with 292 rushing yards and six rushing scores since becoming a starter as a freshman.
St. Michael has felt his absence.
The Cardinals are 2-3 since Rivers went down on Sept. 22, though they’ve now won two straight after beating previously undefeated Bayside Academy last week. With five games left before the postseason, there’s still time for Rivers to rejoin the lineup.
Before that win over Bayside, Rivers told reporter Randy Kennedy, "Hopefully, I'll be back in a couple of weeks."
There still isn’t a firm timetable, but the signs are pointing toward a return in the near future for one of the country’s top prep quarterbacks.
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