Where did Jer'Zhan Newton go to College?

Jer’Zhan Newton who is fondly known as “Johnny” Newton is an American football player who plays the defensive tackle position. Newton was born into a football-loving family on August 31, 2002, in St. Petersburg, Florida. Born to parents Jervon “Von” Newton Sr. and Jovita Rich, Jer’Zhan is the fourth sibling out of five boys. Following in the footsteps of his older siblings, the 2024 Draft eligible is hoping to get selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

What the 6 foot 2 inch, 295 lb defensive tackle brings to the table is explosive speed with the ability to put pressure on the offensive line from either side. He is a pass rush master with a quality bull rush at his disposal and can win with various moves such as cross-chop, swipe, and club-swim. While he has a lot of upside, the most glaring drawback is his smaller frame and shorter arm length which poses problems at times.

Jer'Zhan Newton College

Jer’Zhan Newton attended the University of Illinois where he played his college football for four years on the Illinois Fighting Illini’s football team. Newton played his true freshman year in 2020 featuring in all 8 games though he started only 2 of them. He had 23 tackles and a forced fumble in his first season with the Fighting Illini.

In 2021, he became a redshirt freshman starting 11 of the 12 games he played in. Finishing the season with 51 tackles and 3 sacks, Newton displayed a level of growth in his game as well as his academic pursuits by being named an Academic All-Big Ten.

2022 was an outstanding year for Newton as he earned multiple second-team honors as a sophomore. He was the only defensive lineman in the Big Ten to play more than 400 snaps. Starting all 13 games, Newton’s spectacular season ended with 62 tackles of which 14 were for a loss of yards. He also had 5.5 sacks, 3 pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries to go along with 11 quarterback hurries.

While his sophomore season was excellent, his junior year in 2023 was even better. He was awarded a Consensus All-American as well as the Nagurski–Woodson Defensive Player of the Year Award and the Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year Award. He made the first-team All-Big Ten for the second time in a row.

His junior year consisted of 52 tackles of which 8.5 went for a loss. He added 7.5 sacks leading all Big Ten defensive tackles in the category. His four blocked kicks were a unique accomplishment in addition to a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Jer'Zhan Newton High School

Newton attended Clearwater Central Catholic High School which is also where all of his siblings went to. In high school, he was given a three-star rating from scouting websites such as ESPN, Rivals, and 247. He was a two-sport athlete in high school playing on both the football and basketball teams.

As a senior in high school, he had 104 tackles out of which 29.5 were for a loss of yards. He also added 16 sacks and forced three fumbles. Overall, he finished his high school career with 244 tackles which consisted of 45 tackles for loss, 24 sacks and five forced fumbles.

Newton had offers from a host of Universities including but not limited to Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, UCF, Virginia Tech, and many more.

Dive into the excitement of the NFL Draft 2024 with our NFL Draft Simulator. Craft your own mock draft, make strategic picks, and experience the thrill of being in control. Shape the future of your favorite team with our immersive NFL mock draft experience.