Oak Ridge strengthened their backcourt with the latest addition of 6-foot-2 senior point guard Nate Earl. Earl returns to the Sunshine State after spending his sophomore season at Windermere High School before leaving to play last season at Milton High School under Head Coach Allen Whitehart for his junior campaign. Earl also spent time playing at Next Level Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, where his recruitment began to gain momentum.
Earl is a menace on the offensive end, where he shows a lot of patience in the open court as well as getting to the front of the rim, where he can finish efficiently with either hand. He has also maintained a consistent mid-range jump shot that he can knock down off the catch as well as the bounce.
Earl has also been a dynamic playmaker on the offensive end as well, where he initiated the offense during his sophomore season playing under Mark Griseck and Windermere, where he led the team, averaging 3.8 assists per game to go along with 9.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 43% from the field and 36% from the three-point line.
On the defensive end, Earl can be very quick and adaptive when it comes to playing with contagious energy, as well as being able to guard multiple positions. He can also be a huge factor in the passing lanes, where his length allows him to get deflections and steals to turn defense into offense.
During the Grassroots season, Earl played with Team Person which is operated by former Auburn standout Chuck Person before having a 14-year NBA career where he played with the Indiana Pacers (1986-1992), Minnesota Timberwolves (1992-1994), San Antonio Spurs (1994-1998), Charlotte Hornets (1999), and finishing his career with the Seattle SuperSonics during the 1999-2000 season.
Earl currently holds several Power 4 and Mid-Major Division-1 offers from notable schools such as Auburn, California, Cal-State Bakersfield, Florida Gulf Coast, Grambling, Jacksonville State, Stetson, Tennessee Tech, and several others.
Oak Ridge finished the 2024-2025 season with a 17-10 record and reached the regional final before having their season come to an end against Windermere.
