Prediction: Miami Northwestern (Fla.) shrouded with questions

The 2025 high school football season will be getting underway in less than six weeks, which means it’s officially preview season. Rivals is breaking down the nation’s top teams from coast-to-coast, and today we make our way back down south to the Sunshine State and predict the regular season schedule of 8-time state champion Miami Northwestern. The Bulls are coming off a strong first season under alum Teddy Bridgewater, winning Florida’s Class 3A state championship. With all of the current question marks surrounding Bridgewater and his return to the Bulls, can Miami Northwestern still remain the state’s sure thing in repeating as 3A champs?

Player Spotlight: WR Nick Lennear

There’s just such an abundance of talent on this Miami Northwestern team, you could really spotlight several players at this point. Instead of the much obvious choices like five-stars Calvin Russell (Syracuse commit) and James Johnson (Texas commit), we go against the grain a little by choosing Lennear to take a closer look at. The 2027 four-star wide receiver was the beneficiary of any teams who decided to bracket Russell last season, with Lennear hauling in 42 catches for 778 yards and 12 touchdowns as the Bulls won the 3A state title.

Others to watch: WR Calvin Russell, DL James Johnson, QB Leon Strawder, QB Niemann Lawrence, DL Jordan Campbell, S Tedarius Hughes, LB Desmond Johnson, OL Anthony Bell, WR Nicsaint Joseph, RB Tarvail Mathis

Season Prediction: 10-0

At this point, it’s anyone’s guess on how the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) will eventually handle the current situation surrounding Miami Northwestern head coach Teddy Bridgewater. Until then, we can only speculate on what exactly the Bulls have currently assembled and its quite the roster of talent. Good enough to really beat anyone, anywhere at any given time. Bigger question marks lie with who exactly will be directing the team on the field? Will it be Teddy? Could it be someone currently on the staff? Someone brought from the outside to lead the team? So many questions make this a very difficult team to forecast, but seeing that nothing as of this writing has been decided, it’s hard seeing these folks lose to anyone. Anything less than winning the Class 3A championship would be viewed as a disappointment with the cast of players right now.

Game-By-Game Predictions

Aug. 23 – Orange Lutheran (Calif.) Lancers – W
Don’t think too hard into this one. Lancers are not as good as last year’s team and the Bulls send them packing back to California with a loss.

Aug. 29 – Venice (Fla.) Indians – W
Plenty of current players remember the feeling of losing to Venice last season and hand the Indians their first loss of 2025.

Sept. 4 – Miami Carol City (Fla.) Chiefs – W
The Bulls show no mercy in a 42-6 rout of the Chiefs.

Sept. 12 – Norland (Fla.) Vikings – W
We like these two offenses, but we think Northwestern’s is a bit better as they come away victorious.

Sept. 19 – at Columbus (Fla.) Explorers – W
Against one of the better coached teams in the Miami area, the Bulls come away with win No. 5.

Sept. 26 – Miami Jackson (Fla.) Generals – W
No playing around by Northwestern as they cruise.

Oct. 4 – Miami Central (Fla.) Rockets – W
Might be the hottest ticket Traz Powell Stadium sells all season long between the two heated rivals. We like the Bulls to come out on top over the new-look Rockets.

Oct. 10 – Key West (Fla.) Conchs – W
In a district tilt, the Bulls win this one via a running clock against the Conchs.

Oct. 16 – North Miami Beach (Fla.) Chargers – W
Final home game is a breeze as Northwestern aims to cap undefeated regular season.  

Oct. 24 – at St. Brendan Catholic (Fla.) Sabres – W
Regular season finale is on the road and Teddy’s bunch makes quick work of the Sabres.