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| Lawrenceville (NJ) Lawrenceville School offensive tackle Grant Newsome (#70, image via NJ.com) |
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 280 lbs.
High school: Lawrenceville (NJ) Lawrenceville School
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: 2015
Notes: Attends private school at Lawrenceville but originally from McLean, VA . . . Holds offers from Alabama, Boston College, California, Cincinnati, Duke, Georgia, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Old Dominion, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, South Carolina, Syracuse, Temple, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Wake Forest, West Virginia, and Wisconsin . . . ESPN 3-star, #26 OT, #275 overall, #14 in Virginia . . . Rivals 4-star OT, #30 OT, #8 in New Jersey . . . Scout 4-star, #20 OT . . . 247 Sports 4-star, #19 OT, #181 overall, #5 in New Jersey
Strengths: Tall with good length . . . Thick upper body, narrow from waist down, which is how I like tackles . . . Good athleticism . . . Good straight-line running speed . . . Quick enough to be an effective blocker on second level . . . Shows enthusiasm for blocking small, quick guys . . . Shows ability to run feet after contact and finish blocks . . . Good lateral quickness . . . Should be an effective zone blocker
Weaknesses: Lacks aggression when pass blocking . . . Keeps hands low and lacks punch in pass sets . . . Opens up hips too quickly against pass rushers . . . Does not show consistent enough motor in finishing blocks . . . Plays high in run game . . . Can get off balance when he chooses not to move his feet . . . Does not use hands effectively control defenders
Projection: Left tackle. Newsome has all the physical skills anyone might want in a tackle - length, size, power, quickness, etc. The mental aspects are where he struggles. I think ESPN has him woefully underranked as a 3-star, but they may be judging him based on his refinement at this stage. Newsome will require some coaching, and not just a little. He needs to lower his pad level, especially in the run game, and he really needs to show more aggression on first-level blocks. For being such a big guy, he doesn't blow people off the ball like he should. That's a concern to me, but I think it has a lot to do with technique and a need to get into a college strength program.
Reminds me of: Logan Tuley-Tillman but without as much aggression. The two have similar body types and similar technique issues in high school, but Tuley-Tillman was a nastier player.
Likelihood of committing to Michigan: Newsome is pretty quiet on the recruiting trail, but he thinks highly of LSU, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, and Virginia. Both of 247 Sports' Crystal Ball picks are in Michigan's favor, and other analysts have suggested that Michigan has edged out in front, too. Michigan has done a good job of recruiting both New Jersey and Virginia lately.
Highlights: Newsome's highlights are available on Hudl.
A couple of comments from a recent Lawrenceville alum. First, it is Lawrenceville School not prep (it is a boarding/prep school though). Second, our school is know far more for lacrosse and academics, and our football team is generally terrible. Competition level is not that high, we certainly do not play any of the standard Jersey powerhouses like Paramus or Bosco (in two recent years we lost eight straight games).
ReplyDeleteThe last football scholarship athlete we produced was Pat Scov a fullback/linebacker who committed to Stanford who is currently a redshirt sophomore.
I take it 6'7" 280lb guys aren't well suited for lacrosse? :-)
DeleteNice post providing detail and context of the actual school. This is what makes the Internet and sites like this so interesting ... the analysis of the site owner combined with the insights provided by people with local knowledge.
Not generally haha. Pat Scov though was vicious hitter as a defender (in lacrosse) when I played with him there, gave two kids a concussion who we played against.
DeleteJust another point about the school which might affect the kids recruiting state is: its 85% boarding. Most of those kids will come from PA, CT, NY or NJ, or in his case VA, and in PAts case Mexico.
To Anonymous, I think you mean Paramus Catholic, not Paramus. Dan Sabella has certainly improved the Paramus program since he took over as head coach, but by no means is Paramus a powerhouse. Paramus Catholic, on the other hand, has a wealth of talent, and competes in the Big North United, a veritable steel cage death match of New Jersey high school football.
ReplyDeleteYeah, thats exactly what I meant, Paramus Catholic (Jabrill Peppers!) and Don Bosco, (didn't know there was another to be honest). Lawrenceville plays in the founders league against the likes of Hill, Choate, and Hun (where Michigan got Anthony Lalota school from. But exactly my point is that competition is low and he most likely is MUCH better than whoever he is going up against. In hockey, lacrosse, etc it is different, but thats the case for football. All the coaches are teachers (the old coach was one of the heads of the science department).
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