AOTW: Eagle River’s 3-star linebacker Nolan Farr
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Nolan Farr, the top high school prospect in Alaska, does not represent one of the large Division I schools but has been making noise at the DII level for Eagle River.
“He’s a quiet leader, but man, he leads everything,” sixth-year Eagle River head coach Brad Myers said. “He leads the locker room; I have seen him at camps, he’s a great athlete, great teammate, can’t say enough good things about him.”
The noise about the Eagle River upperclassman is starting to echo beyond state borders.
Farr is Alaska’s lone three-star prospect, according to 247 Sports, complete with multiple college offers already. One other Alaska football player has been “starred,” with Bartlett running back Andre Jameson earning two as of now.
Farr, however — a 6′3″, 210-pound linebacker — doesn’t care to hear about the individual recruitment stats around his name.
“I think it brings a lot of attention to the school itself,” Farr said of his recruitment. “I got stars, but people come here to watch everybody – the whole team, not me; but it means a lot.”
Putting his teammates and fans first is a characteristic of Farr as a leader. Coming from a military family, he moved to Alaska during the summer ahead of his sophomore season, and has since flourished at his not-so-new high school.
“When I first came here, everyone was welcoming, and as I have grown on the team, everyone has grown around me,” said Farr after leading the team in a collective, “Thank you, fans!” chant after the game. “It feels great.”
While beloved within the Eagle River football community, Farr gives opposing teams headaches, as they need to game plan for No. 23 on both sides of the ball.
As a linebacker – which is the position for which Farr is primarily being recruited – Farr can line up out wide in coverage, stuff the run in the middle, or put his hand in the dirt to pass rush.
On offense, he lines up on different parts of the field, serving primarily as a blocker for Eagle River’s stellar run game.
At the same time, he is also a threat with the ball in his hands, as he has recorded both rushing and receiving touchdowns this year.
”Speed, toughness and just resiliency, doing the right thing every time and not getting caught up in the wrong things,” Myers added. “Obviously, he blocks really well. He’s just an excellent athlete.”
These attributes, plus the production on the field, have the Wolves on the prowl as they enter the second half of the season. They have bounced back with a pair of wins in which they outscored opponents 69-14.
On Saturday, Eagle River defeated Lathrop for the first time in eight years with a score of 27-0, as the Wolves begin to emerge as a title contender.
“This is my last year here,” Farr said, “and the past couple seasons, we have been building up since I have been here, so this year, it means a lot to have this momentum for us.
“If we keep this momentum up, we are going to draw a lot of attention here,” he added, “and that is for all of the guys, and for the future of the school, too.”
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