Jer'Zhan "Johnny" Newton (; born August 31, 2002) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

for the

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the

Illinois Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports. The University operates a number of athletic faci ...

, earning consensus All-American honors in 2023. Newton was selected by the Commanders in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Early life

Newton was born on August 31, 2002, in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

. He attended

Clearwater Central Catholic High School Clearwater Central Catholic High School is a private college preparatory school for grades 9 through 12 and located in Clearwater, Florida, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Petersburg. Founded in 1962, the school enrolls approximately 500 st ...

Clearwater, Florida Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, northwest of Tampa and St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2020 census, the city had a populat ...

. During his career, he had 244 tackles and 24 sacks. He originally committed to play

for the

Maryland Terrapins The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divis ...

before switching to the

at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

College career

As a true freshman for the

in 2020, Newton played in all eight games with two starts and had 23 tackles and 1.5 sacks. In 2021, he started 11 of 12 games, recording 50 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Newton returned to Illinois in 2022. Newton declared for the 2024 NFL draft following the 2023 season, where he was named a consensus All-American and the Big 10's

Nagurski–Woodson Defensive Player of the Year Coaches and media of the Big Ten Conference award the following individual honors at the end of each football season. In addition, the ''Chicago Tribune'' awards the Chicago Tribune Silver Football to the most valuable football player of the confer ...

. He finished his career with 18 sacks, tying

Moe Gardner Morris "Moe" Gardner Jr. (born August 10, 1968) is a former American football defensive tackle. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Atlanta Falcons (1991–1996). Moe Gardner graduated from Cathedral High Schoo ...

for the most for an Illinois defensive tackle.

Professional career

Newton was drafted by the

in the second round (36th overall) of the 2024 NFL draft. He underwent surgery in May 2024 to fix a

Jones fracture A Jones fracture is a Fracture (bone), broken bone in a specific part of the fifth metatarsal of the foot between the epiphysis, base and diaphysis, middle part that is known for its high rate of delayed healing or nonunion. It results in pain ne ...

in his left foot. Newton signed his four-year rookie contract, worth $9.75 million, on June 13, 2024.

Personal life

Newton has four brothers
Jerjuan
played for the

Toledo Rockets The Toledo Rockets are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Toledo. The Rockets compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The ...

and ranks in the top ten of the school's career touchdown receptions list.

References

External links

*
Washington Commanders bio

Illinois Fighting Illini bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Jer'Zhan 2002 births All-American college football players American football defensive tackles Illinois Fighting Illini football players Living people Players of American football from Clearwater, Florida Washington Commanders players