Tag: Miami Northwestern (Fla.)

Watch: Former NFL QB, new Miami Northwestern coach Teddy Bridgewater plays in high school scrimmage

Teddy’s still got it!

Former NFL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has already added plenty of intrigue during spring practices for the Miami Northwestern (Fla.) football team, where hundreds of fans have turned out for the Bulls’ workouts to catch a glimpse of the new coach.

And the Pro Bowler recently gave the collective—including the team—quite a treat.

The three-play touchdown drive during a spring practice might be the first in high school history to capture such massive attention on social media, a perk of having such a popular coach on the sidelines — or, in this case, under center. 

However, there were also elements of the footage that stood out beyond the famous play-caller, with a bit of warranted focus on the yards after the catch by wideout Darius Johnson.

That type of athleticism will make any QB look good, regardless of NFL experience. And it’s that type of prowess that should have the first-year coach feeling positive about the team.

A Miami Northwestern alum, Bridgewater has plenty of work to do heading into the 2024 season, where the Bulls will have to handle a tough Florida high school schedule that includes matchups against Super 25 contenders like Norland (Maim, Fla.) and Columbus (Miami, Fla.).

Last season, the team went 4-6 and finished third in the district.

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Hundreds line up to see Teddy Bridgewater coach at Northwestern

Fans flock to see Teddy Bridgewater coach.

Teddy Bridgewater can still draw a crowd, even if he is now a high school football head coach. Hundreds of fans lined the field to watch Bridgewater coach spring ball, underscoring not just his celebrity in South Florida but the insatiable appetite the state has for the sport.

Bridgewater, a former Heisman Trophy candidate in college at Louisville, was a first-round pick in the 2014 NFL draft. Upon his retirement following 10 years in the NFL, Bridgewater announced that he would become head coach at Miami Northwestern High School (Miami, Florida).

Northwestern, coincidentally, is where Bridgewater played his high school football and would become a four-star national recruit (he was the No. 113 recruit in the nation in the 2011 class according to Rivals).

So Bridgewater’s return to Northwestern was a big deal and one that has created understandable buzz in and around the community.

He made his team run around the field and thank the fans who showed up to watch practice.

Bridgewater said he is trying to establish within the program “A culture that’s built around hard work.”

 

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“We live in a time where everything is handed to these kids,” Bridgewater said. “And I want to come back and remind them that everything you really want, you have to work hard for.”

Northwestern went a disappointing 4-6 last season.