[2] He played most of his junior season (at Martin Luther King) as a backup quarterback, seeing time as a starter when the main player at the position was injured.
[2] Rivers gained the starting position as a senior, and led his team to a 7–4 record and a playoff berth, throwing for 2,685 yards and 24 touchdowns.
[2] He was an honorable mention all-state selection,[3] as Martin Luther King ultimately lost in the playoffs to Gainesville, who were led by Deshaun Watson.
[2] As a redshirt-freshman in 2015, Rivers shared the starting quarterback position with E. J. Hilliard, helping lead the team to a 9–3 record while throwing for 548 yards and six touchdowns.
[2] After fully recovering from his injury in early 2018, Rivers decided to transfer to Slippery Rock, where his quarterbacks coach from 2015, Justin Roper had gone.
[2] He had joined the team shortly before the season started, and as a result, was named third-string quarterback due to questions of whether he knew the offense.
[4] After injuries to starter Andrew Koester and backup Taylor King, Rivers was named starting quarterback for week three against Millersville.
[4] After good performance in his first few games, he remained the starter for the rest of the season, helping lead the team to an 11–3 record while throwing for 2,721 yards and 28 touchdowns.
[8] Rivers earned first-team All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) honors and helped Slippery Rock advance to the second round of the playoffs, where they lost to Notre Dame.
[11] He finally received a chance in March 2021, being selected to attend CAMP by Hub Football, where players could show their talents to NFL coaches.