Syracuse football 2026 verbal pledge Calvin Russell lll and his teammates at Miami Northwestern Senior High School eye another state championship in the upcoming 2025 campaign, although a different head coach will roam the sidelines for the Bulls.
Miami Northwestern has an absolutely loaded roster for 2025. High school football analysts forecast that the Bulls will likely repeat as a state champ in Florida, with Miami Northwestern also poised to contend for a high ranking in the Sunshine State and on a national stage.
Earlier this month, the Bulls' head coach in 2024, long-time NFL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, decided to return to the pro ranks. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on August 5, announced that they had signed Bridgewater to a one-year contract.
According to multiple media reports in mid-July, Miami Northwestern had suspended Bridgewater for allegedly providing impermissible benefits to his players. Jaquatin Victrum, the Bulls' junior varsity head coach, has been named the program's interim head coach at the varsity level for the upcoming term, per On3.
Syracuse football 2026 commit Calvin Russell lll is positioned to repeat as a state champ.
Last year, Russell, a five-star wide receiver who verbally pledged to the Orange in early July and will also play for Syracuse basketball, helped lead Miami Northwestern to a 12-2 record and the Florida High School Athletic Association ("FHSAA") 3A state title.
Looking ahead to 2025, On3's Andy Villamarzo recently predicted that the Bulls would go 10-0 in the 2025 regular season, although his forecast came a day or two before Bridgewater departed for the NFL.
Within the talent-laden Sunshine State, Miami Northwestern is projected as the No. 4 team. MaxPreps' preseason top 25 has the Bulls at No. 11 nationwide, and it also predicted that Miami Northwestern will claim the 3A state championship again in 2025.
Russell, deemed the No. 2 wide receiver in all of high school football this coming stanza by MaxPreps national football editor Zack Poff, is part of a loaded receiver corps with the Bulls.
Another elite WR on this squad's 2025 roster is 2027 five-star wide receiver/athlete Nick Lennear, who is also fond of the Syracuse football program and will visit the Orange this fall.
Both Russell and Lennear, within their respective recruiting classes, are top-25 national prospects.