Three-star linebacker Jaylen Rivers commits to Northwestern

Northwestern added another defensive player to the Class of 2018 on Friday as three-star Jaylen Rivers announced his commitment on Twitter.

Rivers went to Grayson High School, located within the greater Atlanta area, and also held offers from Syracuse, West Virginia, Louisville and Ole Miss, among others. Rivers primarily played outside linebacker in high school, but also played at safety and wide receiver. He has the size and length to play both positions at 6-foot-1, 192 pounds.

His speed as a coverage linebacker can be seen throughout his highlight tape. He has a 4.66 40-yard dash time listed. Pat Fitzgerald and Mike Hankwitz have experimented with hybrid linebackers such as Nate Hall, and Rivers’ ability to play anywhere should be valuable for Northwestern’s scheme and style.

Northwestern now has 14 members in its Class of 2018. Rivers is the sixth defensive player in the class. The only other linebacker in the class is Grayson Mann, a Texas recruit who committed back in April.