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Miami Herald
7 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Lennear, Russell are the latest in stellar legacy of Northwestern wide receivers
The legacy of star wide receivers at Northwestern is long. Right now, the Bulls might have two more - at least. Calvin Russell is the No. 1 wide receiver in Florida for the Class of 2026 and yet, on any given Friday, he might not even be the best wideout on his own team. Right behind him is Nick Lennear, the No. 1 wide receiver in the state for the Class of 2027 and a five-star prospect with a host of national powers already lining up for his services. 'It's a lot of competition,' said Lennear, who's the No. 25 prospect in the 2027 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. 'We've got a big brotherhood at the West. That's the key word: brotherhood.' Northwestern has long produced elite wide receiver talent such as Amari Cooper, Snoop Minnis, Eli Rogers and even Tutu Atwell, who played mostly quarterback in high school, but became a wide receiver in college and now plays for the Los Angeles Rams. No need to look further than the Class 3A state playoffs last year to understand what Lennear might be—and already is: In a rout of Melbourne Eau Gallie in the state semifinals, Lennear was the best receiver on the field, catching five passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns. He followed that with four catches for 121 yards and a touchdown in a 41-0 rout of Jacksonville Raines in the state championship game. Even on a team with two upperclassman 600-yard receivers, Lennear managed to stand out, finishing the year with more catches and receiving yards than Russell, and tying for the team lead with 11 touchdown catches. Now both upperclassmen, Lennear and Russell form perhaps the best wide receiver tandem in the country, let alone the state. Last year, Darius Johnson—now at Syracuse—led the Bulls with 40 catches at 785 yards, but Russell, who orally committed to the Orange last month, and Lennear were close behind. Russell had 35 catches for 645 yards and 11 touchdowns, and Lennear had 38 catches for 657 yards and 11 touchdowns, too. The competition that comes with playing in the same position group with other blue-chip prospects and future Division I talents has boosted Northwestern players for decades and now is doing the same for Lennear. 'It's a real brotherhood at the West,' said the junior, who has grown from 5-foot-11 and 150 pounds last year, to 6-1 and 175 pounds now. 'It's a straight brotherhood.' The Bulls' brotherhood helps explain why Northwestern kept much of its roster intact even after the Bulls suspended former coach Teddy Bridgewater—who has since returned to the NFL with the Buccaneers—for providing impermissible benefits to players in the form Uber rides for players to get home from practice and pregame meals. On Tuesday, Northwestern officially named Jaquatin Victrum as interim coach for the 2025 season. Lennear still gives Bridgewater credit for his breakout sophomore season. 'He really holds me accountable. He's the reason I really matured,' Lennear said. 'He just worked us really hard. As a junior, Lennear plans to be a full-time two-way player. He's also starting to really think about his recruitment. Right now, Miami, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Nebraska are all involved in recruiting Lennear, with the Hurricanes, Orange and Cornhuskers among the early standouts. Miami, of course, has the hometown ties—'it's a lot of coaches really trying to get at me,' Lennear said—and Syracuse has the benefit of recent success at recruiting Bulls, with Johnson already up in New York and Russell poised to follow him after committing to the Orange earlier this year. 'That relationship's really good,' Lennear said. 'I really mess with coach Fran [Brown, wide receivers coach Myles White] and how Calvin Russell just committed there, too. I really mess with a lot of guys that go there from my team.' Lennear has plenty of time to worry about his next step, though. For now, he's worried about keeping the Bulls on top, even after a tumultuous offseason. 'I'm really excited,' Lennear said. 'We're going to play for [Bridgewater].'
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Five-star QB Jared Curtis hosts North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick for in-home visit
Five-star Class of 2026 quarterback Jared Curtis was willing to hear a sales pitch from North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick. Curtis, a former Georgia football commitment from Nashville Christian, hosted Belichick for an in-home visit Monday. Curtis is the No. 2 quarterback nationally and No. 4 player overall in his class, according to the 247Sports Composite. UNC is not among Curtis' top six schools, which are Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, South Carolina, Oregon and Ohio State. But maybe Belichick can work the Tar Heels into the mix. The six-time Super Bowl-winning former New England Patriots coach was the splashiest offseason hire in college football, and he recently helped flip Class of 2025 four-star EDGE Chinedu Onyeagoro from SMU to UNC. More: Jared Curtis makes Nashville Christian the best show in TSSAA football finals | Estes In-home visits are permitted under NCAA rules during the Jan. 6 to Feb. 1 contact period. Curtis has hosted the likes of Georgia coach Kirby Smart and Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer so far. Jared Curtis would be an absolute steal for North Carolina football and coach Bill Belichick. More: 2026 5-star QB Jared Curtis' top schools include Alabama football, Georgia, Ohio State | Report Curtis, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound junior, has a powerful arm that is strong beyond his years, and with his size he's a threat on the ground as well. He was 179-of-255 passing for 2,830 yards passing, 40 touchdowns and three interceptions last fall. He also rushed for 637 yards and 18 touchdowns on 88 carries while leading Nashville Christian to the TSSAA football Division II-A state title. Curtis was the Tennessee Titans Division II-A Mr. Football recipient in 2024 and the Gatorade Tennessee Player of the Year. Reach sports writer Tyler Palmateer at tpalmateer@ and on the X platform, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: 5-star 2026 QB Jared Curtis hosts North Carolina football's Bill Belichick
