2025 Preview: Northwestern Trojans

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One month.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That's how long the Northwestern Trojans celebrated after a walk off finish to 2024, defeating Irmo in the final seconds on a field goal to secure the school's sixth state championship, completing a perfect 14-0 season. Senior wide receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267334' first='Kameron' last='Vance'] </strong>(pictured above) told us at the Prep Redzone Media Day at Catawba Ridge on June 20th that it was right back to work after that.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We don't even talk about it anymore. We're too focused on a bigger goal this year like every other team, get another championship,” Vance said.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The question for most around the state is who will be the starting quarterback for the Trojans following the graduation of Finley Polk? <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='232624' first='Xavier' last='Means'] </strong>will have the keys to the Trojans' Air Raid offense in 2025. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1394980' first='Chris' last='Coleman'] </strong>returns to anchor things up front on the offensive line along with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820779' first='Nasir' last='Hannah']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820781' first='Beau' last='Chumley']</strong>. They'll need to find pieces to plug in at wide receiver with the only returning starter being Vance along with the running back position as [player_tooltip player_id='1603697' first='Zymier' last='Gordon-Miles'] transferred to South Pointe, after rushing for 1,264 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2024.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Trojans' defense will have experience back, particularly in the secondary with <strong>Caleb Singleton </strong>returning. They will need to find some pieces on the defensive line, as they lost the entire starting front to graduation in 2025.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the 2025 season opener approaches on August 22 on the road against Spartanburg, wide receivers coach Lee Black told us that every day and every rep for this group matters.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Right now at Northwestern, we are grinding, getting ready for every single day. We're trying to always get to the standard of Northwestern football. Every single day, every rep counts, doesn't matter if it's May, June, July. We've got to get ready for August to get back to where we want to be, which is the championship,” Black said.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>STARS SET TO SHINE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Joshua Singleton</strong> DB, 2026 – Singleton was sixth on the team in 2024 in tackles with 27 tackles and 2 interceptions. He keeps his eyes in the right place and tracks the ball well to make plays when they present themselves. He currently holds offers from Virginia Tech and Charleston Southern.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Expectations after winning the state championship: “We've got to keep working. Keep our head down. We're not the same team from last year.”</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Improvements heading into 2025: “We've been working on trying to get hands on (receivers) and just trying to get better day by day in alignment and assignment, just trying to get the young boys ready.”</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267334' first='Kameron' last='Vance']</strong> WR, 2026 – Vance is the senior leader in the receiver room for the Trojans after the 2024 campaign where he recorded 72 receptions for 1126 yards and 16 touchdowns. He recently committed to Lafayette College in Pennsylvania.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Improvements heading into 2025: “From a receiving standpoint, since I'm the only returning starter from last year, getting the younger kids in the rotation and teach them how a Northwestern receiver usually plays like last year and then offensive wise, we're just trying to move faster and faster, keep it up tempo so teams can't stop us.”</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1149051' first='Kamerin' last='McFadden']</strong> LB, 2026 – McFadden returns for the Trojans' defense after finishing fifth on the team in tackles with 23 total tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss and five pass breakups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Improvements heading into 2025: “Linebacker wise, we've got a young group so we're teaching them the plays. They're trying to learn more open field tackling.”</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267200' first='Tamarion' last='Watkins'] </strong>LB, 2026 – The No. 2 linebacker in the PRZ Class of 2026 rankings returns to the fold after finishing third on the team in tackles with 28 solos and 7.5 tackles for a loss. He also had three interceptions. He will be another leader for the Trojans' defense. He plans to make his college decision next Monday with four Power Four schools vying for his services, including South Carolina, Georgia, Texas A&amp;M and Miami.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>KEY LOSSES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Finley Polk </strong>QB – The Shrine Bowl selection threw for 3,712 yards and 46 touchdowns in his final season at Northwestern. Polk is now at Gardner Webb University.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Andre Pickett </strong>DL – Pickett finished second on the team in tackles in 2024 with 42.5 total tackles and 15.5 tackles for a loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>FILM REVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823336' first='Jonathan' last='Spurgeon'] </strong>DB, 2026 – Spurgeon is versatile in that he can line up on defense and make interceptions (4 in 2024) with great eye discipline to be able to read the quarterback's eyes and make plays on the ball as well as return kicks in the special teams game. He has good speed to boot as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18134601/6760f05fb469a2f5f04fd2ae' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6869e7240b538"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>UP AND COMING POTENTIAL</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820777' first='Evan' last='Harrison'] </strong>WR, 2026 – Harrison looks to fill the void left in the room and will have a bigger role, after finishing the year with 12 receptions for 77 yards and one touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1827578' first='Khalil' last='Williamson']</strong> DB, 2027 – Williamson played in 13 games in 2024, finishing with 20 solo tackles and 15 pass breakups. He anticipates the routes that opponents like to run and he has excellent closing speed on the ball. He can stick it to his receivers with tight coverage on the outside and can stay with the best of the receivers. He doesn't allow them to get inside and get over top of him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":1704184,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1652528' first='Jayden' last='Baxter']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2495","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Northwestern","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6869ebc289823"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Baxter is fun to watch from his free safety position. He has great closing speed on the ball and patrols the middle of the field well, which is one of the keys to thriving at the position. He can also cover out in space in one-on-one coverage. He finished with 22.5 total tackles and three interceptions in 2024, along with two pass breakups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18078862/676c92eff4784edfc66c172b' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6869ebc289a25"} /--> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->