Nate Rembert doesn’t need a stadium full of fans to tell him that he made it. 

For him, success is not about being in the spotlight. It’s all about the path upward from late nights watching his mother juggle jobs, his introduction to football in youth league and a relentless drive to not just play the game but build a life out of it.

Nate didn’t take the typical route to Jackson State, where he’s now a standout wide receiver—it’s been a road marked by challenges and powered by his unshakable faith in God and in himself.

Born and raised in Eustis, Nate’s first taste of football was when he played youth football for Coach Johnnie Saunders. “Johnnie was the one who really got me into it,” Nate says. “Playing with Coach Johnnie helped me fall in love with the game.”

Saunders wasn’t the only guiding light. Nate’s mother, Laura Rembert, was the steady force behind the scenes. Dad wasn’t always around, so Laura picked up extra shifts at Publix, Kohl’s and anywhere she could to provide for her children. Today, Laura is a Mount Dora High School teacher by day and jack-of-all-trades by night.

“She is who I look up to the most,” Nate says. “She personifies what it means to work hard. It’s not always been easy for her, but her love shines so bright. The dedication that woman has is incredible.”

In 2021, Nate transferred to Wildwood Middle High School to join friends Nate Mikell and Alfred Corbin on the basketball court and ended up capturing a Florida state championship. “We came together our senior year knowing we could win it all,” Nate recalls. “We believed it, we worked for it and we did it.”

Prior to achieving his basketball goals, Nate rediscovered his love for football under then-head coach Vincent Brown, Sr. who converted the former JV quarterback to a new position. 

“Coach Brown saw I had great hands and decided to put me at wide receiver,” Nate says. “That changed everything.”

Nate showcased a natural ability as a playmaker in space by exploding for 1,167 all-purpose yards and 16 offensive touchdowns in his senior season.

It was the kind of performance that turned heads and rekindled the possibility of playing at the next level.

Nate initially hoped to continue with basketball in college, but his dream didn’t materialize. Too small.  

Rather than dwell on disappointment, he pivoted back to football. That’s when Edward Waters University, a private, Christian HBCU in Jacksonville, gave him a shot.

He made the most of it.

In 2023, Nate recorded 32 receptions for 730 yards, 22.81 yards per reception and eight touchdowns in nine games. 

His breakout season earned him a spot at Mississippi Valley State, a school with historic SWAC roots and the alma mater of NFL legend Jerry Rice. 

Nate didn’t just fit in at Mississippi Valley State, he thrived. In 11 games, he notched 70 receptions for 1,038 yards, averaging nearly 87 yards per game and joining an elite group of just five State receivers – including Jerry Rice – to top the 1,000-yard mark in a season.

“It was surreal,” Nate says. “I was even nominated for the Conerly Trophy, given to the best college football player in Mississippi. Only 10 players get that honor. The winner was Jaxson Dart from Ole Miss, but just being nominated, that meant a lot.”

The accolades led to an opportunity with Jackson State University, one of the most storied programs in the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) and SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference). For Nate, it was more than just a step up, it felt like destiny.

“Jackson State feels like Eustis,” he says. “It’s close-knit, people look out for each other and there’s just a sense of community. I feel at home here.”

Nate’s journey is about more than stats or championships. It’s about inspiration, especially for kids back home.

He looked up to Keon Ellis, another Eustis native who defied the odds and now plays for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. “To see a kid from our town make it, that’s inspiring,” he says. “It shows other young kids that if you put in the work, you can get there.”

Nate regularly returns home, often working out at South Sumter High and mentoring younger athletes.

“I met a young guy there recently,” Nate recalls. “I asked him, ‘Why do you play the game?’ He didn’t have an answer. So, I told him, ‘You don’t sweat through summer practices and give up your time if you’re not working toward something.’”

His message to young players is simple yet powerful: “Know why you’re doing this, why you play the game. Have a purpose. Mine is to get to the NFL. But more than that, it’s to honor God and everything He’s done for me.”

For Nate, everything starts with faith. Around his neck, he wears a dog tag engraved with an inspirational thought based on Luke 1:37 that’s guided him through dark days and bright moments: “Faith doesn’t make things easier; it makes things possible.” 

He credits not just his mother but also his father, Craig Rembert, who has stepped up in recent years to support him. His sisters, Natalie (a Eustis High state champion in softball who graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University) and older sister Madison (a veterinary assistant trained at Lake Tech), are constant sources of pride and motivation.

And then there’s Labrica Everett, mother of South Sumter alum and Texas A&M player Rashad “Tom Tom” Johnson, Jr. “She was like a second mom to me,” Nate says. “Always helping, always there. They don’t make too many women like Labrica.” 

And of course there’s Chiquita Patterson. “I call her my bonus mother, she’s someone who took me in while at Wildwood and who ended up passing from cancer. She was and still is a big motivational piece in this journey of mine,” Nate says. 

As he pushes toward the NFL, Nate is thinking long-term. He’s studying business and dreams of owning his own company. “I’ve always liked working for myself,” he says. “That’s something I want to do, build something of my own.”

In his downtime, he finds peace in simple pleasures like fishing, feeling the breeze at the beach and spending quiet moments in reflection.

Nate’s story is far from over, but it’s already one worth telling. This small-town kid with big dreams has overcome setbacks, leaned on faith and risen on the strength of a mother’s love, a community’s belief and his own unwavering spirit.

“I didn’t have the easiest road,” he says. “But I know now it doesn’t have to be easy to be possible.” 

Photos: Nicole Hamel