Illinois Football Lands Three-Star Tight End Cade Newman: What It Means

The Illini landed their first tight end in the 2027 recruiting class when they signed Cade Newman on Saturday

Oct 4, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema watches warm ups before the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

At this late stage, Illinois football's 2026 recruiting class may finally be complete, and slowly but surely the Illini's 2027 recruiting class is starting to come together. All six of coach Bret Bielema's '27 commits are three-star recruits, and on Saturday the Illini added their first out-of-state recruit and first tight end of the class in Cade Newman.

Very grateful to announce my commitment to the University of Illinois! Couldn’t have done this without the support system behind me, my parents, friends, family, Ben Durbin, Coach Pezzetti, Coach Booth, and everyone else who has impacted my career! Super excited for this… pic.twitter.com/PqVFzvgDKq

— Cade Newman 3⭐️ (@CadeNewman17) June 7, 2026

Who is Cade Newman?

Newman, a 6-foot-5, 220-pounder who will be a senior this fall at Ankeny (Iowa) Centennial High School, is the 67th-ranked tight end in the nation and the 14th-ranked tight end in the state of Iowa, per 247Sports. As a junior last year, Newman finished with 10 receptions for 116 yards and two touchdowns, and also contributed on defense to help lead the Jaguars to the IHSAA postseason.

Cade Newman scouting report

Newman lined up in a bunch of different spots on offense for the Jaguars last year – on the line of scrimmage, in the slot, outside the numbers, etc. – but that probably won't be the case in college. Ultimately, he figures to receive the majority of his reps on the line of scrimmage as your prototypical tight end.

Newman has the physical traits to be a long-ball threat in high school, but he may not be fast enough to play outside the numbers in college. That doesn't mean, however, that he can't be a valuable contributor to the Illini – or even a potential starter (though most likely in a couple of years).

With good size, strong hands and solid body control – he's a darn good blocker, too – Newman would seem to have all the skills to become a contributor as a Big Ten tight end.

How Cade Newman fits at Illinois

Bielema loves to utilize his tight ends, and he's not afraid to mix up his personnel groupings – even putting as many as three tight ends on the field at once in goal-line and short-yardage situations. That said, Newman could get a chance to play sooner rather than later.

Plus, Illinois lacks overall depth at the position, which plays into Newman's favor. Three of Illinois' four tight ends are upperclassmen, and the other is a junior college transfer in BJ Thurman.

We're a long way away from the 2027 college football season, but for now, Thurman looks like Newman's primary competition walking in the door. Thurman has three years of eligibility remaining and was the top-ranked tight end in the JUCO transfer portal, so he has a high ceiling himself.