Your weekly serving of college football roster acquisition thoughts — recruiting, transfer portal, you name it — from 247Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins.
Philip Rivers’ son could have an Arch-like recruitment
Arch Manning has yet to start a college football game at Texas, but he’s one of the biggest names in the sport. Most people aside from the true recruitniks may not remember that Manning’s recruitment was far from normal.
With two NFL greats at his side, Arch and his people went radio silent throughout much of the process. He didn’t do many interviews and he didn’t participate in offseason camps like the Elite 11 Finals. Manning didn’t have a social media presence until he announced a verbal commitment to Texas and only until after his commitment to Texas did he begin to open up as a high school senior, doing slightly more media in controlled settings.
It was about as atypical as a recruitment could come in an era full of sizzle and and I’m starting to think we might have another hush-hush recruitment on our hands.
Earlier this week, 247Sports rolled out its initial rankings for the class of 2027. For those trying to keep track at home, that would be prospects about to play their sophomore seasons of high school. The list of 100 names won’t jump out to most until you get to Gunner Rivers at No. 64 overall.
Rivers is the son of former eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback Philip Rivers. It’s still way too early to label a rising 10th grader a “can’t-miss” recruit, but the younger Rivers looks like he has a chance to emerge as one of the top overall talents in the class.
Last year, Gunner completed 229 of 362 passes (63.3 percent) for 3,077 yards with 29 touchdowns to go against just four interceptions while playing for his father at Alabama’s Fairhope St. Michael Catholic. Those numbers are extremely promising for a freshman and would usually result in a flurry of scholarship offers. The issue? Gunner — like Arch — isn’t active on X and he has no posts on his Instagram account, meaning it’s hard to get much information on his recruitment.
After working the phones and talking with some college contacts, 247Sports has been able to confirm that NC State, which is of course Philip’s alma mater, has offered the younger Rivers. Outside of that, it’s unclear where he’s visited and who all is interested in the budding NFL legacy. And it might stay that way as one source noted that the family is “very private.”
NIL creating parity at a premium position
Since 247Sports started ranking players back in 2012, there have been 47 offensive tackles that finished with a five-star designation. Alabama has signed nine of them with nine more landing at either Georgia, Wisconsin or Stanford. In total, only 23 schools have landed a five-star offensive tackle in a 12-year span.
Why does that matter? Because it appears that Name, Image and Likeness is creating some parity at one of the game’s premium positions. Last cycle, Deion Sanders and Colorado landed the lone five-star tackle in the class when they beat out plenty for Jordan Seaton. This cycle, Josh Petty has already committed to Georgia Tech and David Sanders Jr. is expected to pick either Tennessee or Nebraska on Saturday when he announces a decision live on the 247Sports’ YouTube channel.
The Crimson Tide do hold a pledge from a five-star corner protector in Ty Haywood, but the other two uncommitted five-star tackles could also end up at schools that usually don’t ink the Wagyu-grade beef. Andrew Babalola is believed to be favoring Auburn and Michigan while Texas and Oklahoma are battling it out for Michael Fasusi in advance of his August 12 commitment date.
Pete Nakos of On3 reported that the Yellow Jackets and Petty have agreed to terms for a three-year deal with an annual payment of at least $800,000. That figure is key because one could make the case that it’s over market value. As one general manager at the Power Four level recently pointed out behind closed doors, the issue with a large sticker price for offensive tackles is that it usually takes a few semesters before they are ready to see the field. If Petty, who needs to undergo a physical transformation, redshirts his first year on campus and then serves in a backup role in Year 2, Georgia Tech will have invested well over $1 million in his services before he has started a game. That’s a significant amount considering there could be 105 scholarship players on the roster.
Of course, Petty could be ready for game action much sooner and if Georgia Tech were to try and court a difference-making tackle in the transfer portal that player wouldn’t be cheap, either.
Three under-the-radar freshmen WRs who will play
Preseason camps are starting to wrap up around the country. If you aren’t aware, the true freshman wide receiver class looks primed to take college football by storm with Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith, Auburn’s Cam Coleman, Alabama’s Ryan Williams and plenty of other former blue-chip recruits drawing rave reviews.
Instead of gushing about the same players that continue to make headlines, we figured we’d highlight some under-the-radar pass-catchers I think are in line to make an impact as rookies after reading the tea leaves.
Nick Marsh, Michigan State
The Spartans lost a lot this offseason and are in need of playmakers on offense as they break in transfer quarterback Aidan Chiles. Marsh not only had three catches for 105 yards and a score in Michigan State’s spring showcase, but he impressed in a closed-door scrimmage last week. There’s reason to believe he’s already one of the top two or three on the team and could provide a much-needed mismatch on the outside. Aside from the size, one of the reasons why we were so bullish on Marsh coming out of high school is the fact that he won’t turn 18-years-old until October. He could be a breakout star in the Big Ten as a minor.
DayDay Farmer, West Virginia
The Mountaineers could be a sneaky team in the new-look Big 12. They return senior quarterback Garrett Greene and a combined 101 starts across the projected starting five on the offensive line. But if West Virginia is going to surprise people they likely are going to need a few game-breakers to emerge. Enter Farmer. WVU coach Neal Brown used the word “elite” when asked about the Sunshine State native earlier this month and made it seem like his staff is looking for ways to get Farmer involved. A one-time UCF commit, Farmer always turned heads on the 7-on-7 circuit with his route running.
Jacory Barney, Nebraska
Quarterback Dylan Raiola is the true freshman to know in Lincoln, but it sounds like Barney is going to have a significant role for the Cornhuskers. After ripping off a 78-yard kickoff return in Nebraska’s annual Red-White Game, he’s penciled in as the team’s primary return man. Barney is likely also pushing for playing time in the slot, which is key for Raiola as the Cornhuskers had one of the nation’s worst passing offenses last season. We’re already regretting not awarding Barney a fourth-star. After all, he was probably the best player on the field during a 10-team high school jamboree down in South Florida two years ago.
Sneaky-good commit of the week
Safety Brandon Logan to Notre Dame
Marcus Freeman has embraced the idea of dual-sport athletes ever since he took over in South Bend and it has paid off in a big way for the Irish. Last season, lacrosse star Jordan Faison was thrust into action at wide receiver and ended up catching touchdown passes in each of the final three games of the season. Freeman’s willingness to work with his football players appears to have helped the Irish secure the services of new safety commit Brandon Logan.
A longtime Vanderbilt baseball commit, Logan recently flipped his pledge over to the Irish, who also plan to give him a shot in the outfield. As a football player, Logan picked off six passes as a junior at Fort Wayne (Ind.) Snider. He covers a ton of turf and has tested off the charts with a 124-inch broad jump to his credit.
‘Freak’ of the week
2027 QB Elijah Haven
We have touched on it in the past, but we’ll say it again. Quarterback recruiting is accelerated as ever and that’s why you should get familiar with Elijah Haven, the No. 1-ranked prospect in 247Sports’ initial Top 100 rankings for 2027. A supersized dual-threat talent with a powerful arm and above-the-rim athleticism, Haven flashed impressive playmaking ability as a freshman at Baton Rouge (La.) The Dunham School, accounting for 47 total touchdowns. He’s over 6-foot-4 and pushing 210 pounds. More notably, he can jam on the hardwood. Florida, Miami, Ole Miss, Baylor, Texas Tech and Cornell are among the early offers for the 15-year-old.
