Analysis + Evaluation of WR Commit Reggie Fleurima
When Naperville Central (Ill) wide receiver Reggie Fleurima committed to the Wildcats on Mar. 17, he became the top commit secured by Northwestern thus far. The four-star wideout is ranked as the fifth-best player in the state of Illinois and the 262nd ranked player in ESPN’s top 300.
Fleurima is the son of former Notre Dame defensive lineman Reggie Fleurima Sr., who played for Lou Holtz and the Fighting Irish in the 90’s. Junior doesn’t play the same position as his father, but certainly plays up to his 6’2", 195-pound listed height and weight. Fleurima uses his physicality and technique to his advantage, easily defeating press coverage.
A large part of Fleurima's game is using his physicality and advanced understanding of leverage to stem off in-breaking routes and win at the catch point. Fleurima has an advanced sense of tracking the ball in the air and uses a large catch radius to receive the ball at its highest point.
Fleurima has an innate ability to move like a running back with the ball in his hands. Naperville Central would design plays centered around Fleurima receiving the ball quickly on screens and clear outs. The plays would have Fleurima running over the middle. Once he received the ball, Fleurima would elect to dish out contact rather than take it. Fleurima is an improved receiver in yards after the catch situations, and has shown the ability to get open quickly and make defensive backs pay if they play him in off coverage.
Fleurima is not exactly a burner when he has the ball in his hands, nor is he the shiftiest, but he has enough straight line speed to turn a five-yard route into a 15-yard first down. Fleurima's blocking, however, really stands out. Fleurima is a willing and dependable blocker who routinely puts defensive backs in the dirt.
Fleurima has the football pedigree and athletic ability to step in as a freshman and receive playing time, and down the line could be a star at the college level and beyond.
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Joseph Acosta is a graduate student at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, specifying in Sports Media. He previously worked as the Managing Editor and Business Manager of the Florida Atlantic University Press from 2020-2021, and is a writer for SB Nation's Big Cat Country, covering the Jacksonville Jaguars.