Noah Sur, a 2026 Northwestern recruit, is Chris Sailer Kicking’s No. 3 kicker in his class. For those who are unfamiliar, Chris Sailer Kicking is the industry standard for evaluating kickers, as sites such as 247Sports mostly ignore them.
The ‘Cats hope Sur will help their special teams in a few years, but first, he will compete in the 2026 Navy All-American Bowl next January. The event invites the “top-100 high school football players in the nation,” and Sur was announced as playing this morning.
The All-American Bowl is the premier opportunity for high school talent to compete against other top players in the country. Sur’s 6.0/6.0 ranking probably made him an easy choice as a kicker invite for the organizers.
At Northwestern, having a talented kicker is always beneficial for a variety of reasons. For starters, in a difficult Big Ten, points are valuable. Analytics may say to go for it more often than not, but having a guy who can tack on points in fourth and long situations is critical for a team fighting for victory.
Second, Evanston is a challenging place to kick. Who knows what it will be like at the new Ryan Field, but wind will almost certainly be a factor. It takes a big leg to kick through it, and head coach David Braun and his team are hoping for just that in Sur.
Kickers are difficult to predict, so it is unclear what Sur will be. Nonetheless, the Wildcats benefit from successfully recruiting the country’s No. 3 kicker.
