While defense dominated the Wildcats’ spring scrimmage, all eyes locked onto the newest member of their offense.
On Jan. 28, Northwestern announced junior wide receiver Kyle Prater would be taking his extraordinary play-making talents to Evanston and join the Cats’ already dynamic spread offense.
Prater starred at Proviso West High School, which is about 25 miles away from Evanston. The six-foot-five-inch receiver was the complete package, winning multiple awards and putting together an extremely impressive recruiting profile. He made school history when he received 17 offers from schools across the country, one of them being NU.
After falling short of success at the University of Southern California in part due to repeated injury, Prater elected to transfer – this time considering his educational opportunities.
Now with the Cats, Prater gives coach Pat Fitzgerald yet another option in the offensive gameplan.
Rising junior quarterback Kain Colter gives the Cats versatility, as evidenced by his 673 passing yards, 498 receving yards and 654 rushing yards last season. Redshirt freshman Trevor Siemian lends NU a second option at signal-caller, and pairing the duo with up-and-coming wideout Christian Jones and returner Demetrius Fields already leaves the Cats with an explosive passing attack.
A healthy Prater would add another weapon while easing the loss of senior Jeremy Ebert and taking defensive pressure off the untested Christian Jones as well as sophomore speedster Tony Jones, who is returning from a knee injury.
At this point in the spring, Fitzgerald was impressed with Prater’s transition.
“He’s handled it incredibly well,” Fitzgerald said after the first spring exhibition game. “We are not surprised. He’s very mature. He’s a humble young man and he wants to be great. His teammates have done a tremendous job of welcoming him in, but it’s because of him and his personality. He’s so gregarious. He’s got a great humility about him.”
And for Prater, the return home is a relieving step in what has been a rocky NCAA career.
“I love it so far,” Prater said, “I got great camaraderie with the players already, and we are still building on that as well. I’m loving it.”
John Paschall contributed reporting.
