JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Naeem Burroughs has made a name for himself as one of the best high school football players in the area.
“Time is moving really fast,” Burroughs said. “Every time that I think about me being a junior it doesn’t sound real because I was just a freshman coming to summer workouts and learning from older guys. Now that I am one of the older guys it still feels surreal.”
He’s a wide receiver for Bolles and a four-star recruit.
“It’s still a weird feeling,” Burroughs said. “I’ve been working for it since I was younger and I really can’t do nothing but thank the people around me. My teammates, of course for pushing me, my coaches. All glory goes to God of course too, but can’t thank nobody but people around me.”
Burroughs and the Bulldogs start the season hosting Raines in our Varsity 4 Game of the Week. Two of the best programs in the area matching up in week one.
“Pretty packed game, but my coach trying to get us to understand that it’s just another game,” Burroughs said. “It’s a big game because we’re in it.”
But Raines isn’t just another team for Burroughs. When he was younger, he rooted for the Vikings because of one of their star wide receivers, Quincy Burroughs, his older brother.
“I have three other brothers,” Naeem Burroughs said. “It’s all over the place. Eddie went to Ribault, Kennedy went to Riverside, Quincy went to Raines, and I came to Bolles.”
So, when I asked Quincy who he’s rooting for Friday, he’s staying true to his Vikings roots.
“I’m definitely a Raines guy through and through,” Quincy Burroughs said. “Vikings pride all day. Of course I want little bro to come out with a win, but I’m the biggest Raines fan.”
As a freshman, Naeem had even more motivation when he played against Raines. Of course he wanted to beat his older brother’s alma mater. But now a few years older, he sees this match up differently.
“My first year was,” Naeem Burroughs said. “I don’t really see it as that anymore. I know a lot of my friends go to Raines so I see that as just a friendly rivalry going on. I don’t really see it as a me and Quincy rivalry. I talk trash to him of course, but I don’t see it as that anymore.”
You may be wondering who the better football player is between the brothers? When you ask them, that answer varies.
“I’d say me of course, but it’s kind of hard to say,” Naeem Burroughs said. “I’d say me.”
“It’s got to be me,” Quincy Burroughs said. “There’s no other question. No other answer. It’s me, it’s me for sure. Naeem knows that deep down inside.”
Quincy is living the dream that Naeem is striving for.
“I remember his first time being on TV,” Naeem Burroughs said. “Got his first catch. We were jumping up and down inside the house. Crazy. I know the hard work he’s put in and everything he’s been through so I know that he’s worked for everything that he’s gotten and I just know he deserves it.”
“It’s amazing to watch,” Quincy Burroughs said. “I get more excited watching him play more than I watch myself play in a sense.”
He’s setting the framework for his younger brother, while also creating lasting memories and a bond that only siblings can relate to.
“I think that’s another way for us to connect,” Quincy Burroughs said. “Knowing that we both play receiver. We both have the same aspirations and same things that we want to achieve in life.”
While the brothers may be supporting different sidelines on Friday, it’s evident they will always support each other.