December 04, 2024
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Princeton’s Noah LaPorte changing his stripes, signs with Northwestern

Tiger all-stater will play tight end for the Wildcats

By Kevin Hieronymus
Princeton Class 3A senior all-stater Noah LaPorte signs to play for the Northwestern Wildcats Wednesday afternoon at Prouty Gym. He was joined by his signing by his grandfather, Bob LaPorte, Jr.,, his mother, Kristin Wright, his father, Bob LaPorte, and his brother, Luke.

Princeton Class 3A senior all-stater Noah LaPorte signs to play for the Northwestern Wildcats Wednesday afternoon at Prouty Gym. He was joined by his signing by his grandfather, Bob LaPorte, Jr.,, his mother, Kristin Wright, his father, Bob LaPorte, and his brother, Luke. (Kevin Hieronymus)

Noah LaPorte has changed his stripes on the football field from the Princeton Tigers to the Northwestern University Wildcats.

The Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Class 3A All-Stater from Princeton signed to play Big Ten football for the Wildcats in front of a gathering of family, friends, coaches and teammates Wednesday afternoon at Prouty Gym.

Northwestern was the first school to make an offer to LaPorte on April 20, and he committed to the Wildcats exactly a month later.

“It’s kind of an unreal feeling. Finally, I put the pen to the paper, and now I’m going to be a part of that team. I’m looking forward to it and excited to get to work with my teammates,” LaPorte said.

A two-way, unanimous all-conference player for the Tigers, the 6-foot-6 LaPorte will focus on offense, playing tight end for the Wildcats.

“Plan on bulking up and everything. I don’t have any doubt they can do that for me,” he said.

Princeton coach Ryan Pearson is excited to see LaPorte have the opportunity to play at the highest level.

“Anytime you can get a kid, get the opportunity to play Big Ten football and get his education paid for and play the game he loves, you really can’t ask for anything more than that,” he said.

“He has the entire package. You have the physical attributes. He’s 6-foot-6, athletic, but it’s the character that truly sets him apart from a lot of other kids. He’s going to be a great student academically. You don’t have to worry about him character-wise. Just a great teammate and then a great leader. Most importantly, what a great example for all our kids coming up in our program to watch him go and play at the highest level, that’s pretty awesome.”

LaPorte made his first big splash for the Tigers as a sophomore, setting a single-game school record with 206 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

As a senior, LaPorte made 30 receptions for 450 yards and five TDs. On defense, he had 44 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss, two blocked punts and two fumble recoveries.

LaPorte is the second Princeton player and third from Bureau County to sign with a Big Ten school in two years, following former teammate Teegan Davis (Iowa) and Hall’s Mac Resetich (Illinois) in 2022. He is the fourth Tiger to go on to the NCAA Division I ranks during that time, including 2024 grads Payne Miller (Western Illinois) and Bennett Williams (Air Force).

He also received an offer from Michigan State, among other schools, including Kansas, and made multiple trips to Illinois.

LaPorte appreciated all the support from the many well-wishers who attended his signing.

“It’s an unreal feeling having all these friends and family care about me, coming out supporting, watching me sign,” he said. “I’m glad I had the support from them.”

LaPorte plans to study something business-related at Northwestern, saying, “I’m good with numbers.”

Northwestern is hoping he can help it turn those numbers into wins the next four years.