Jershaun Newton commits to Illinois; family ties lead to Fighting Illini choice

Newton has led CCC to the Florida Class 1M state championship game the last two seasons
Jershaun Newton chose the Fighting Illini, following in his brother's footsteps
Jershaun Newton chose the Fighting Illini, following in his brother's footsteps /

When former Illinois' defensive standout Jer'Zhan Newton was selected in second round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders, his younger brother back at Clearwater Central Catholic watched on.

CCC quarterback Jershaun Newton has seen his older brothers, Jer'Zhan, and Jerjuan (former Toledo) both excel on the collegiate level. On the 4th of July, the Marauders' star decided it was his turn to announce which path he would be taking.

Newton announced via X, formerly known as Twitter, that he's committing to Illinois. The CCC quarterback has led the Marauders to the Class 1M state championship the last two seasons.

Last season for the Class 1M state runner-up Marauders, Newton broke over 1,000 yards through the air and on ground. Newton completed 132-of-203 passes for 2,084 yards and 14 touchdowns. As a runner, Newton carried the rock 120 times for 1,020 yards and scored 13 touchdowns.

In Newton's sophomore campaign, the signal caller threw for 2,219 yards and 23 scores and rushed for 1,355 and 15 touchdowns.

The quarterback also has offers from schools like Florida A&M, Florida State, Indiana, Louisville, Miami (FL), Mississippi State, NC State, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Toledo, Tulane, UCF, USF and West Virginia.

-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl


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Andy Villamarzo
ANDY VILLAMARZO

Andy Villamarzo has been a sports writer in the Tampa Bay (FL) Area since 2007, writing for publications such as Tampa Bay Times, The Tampa Tribune, The Suncoast News, Tampa Beacon, Hernando Sun to name a few. Andy resides out of the Tarpon Springs, FL area and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in the summer of 2022 covering the Tampa Bay Area. He has quickly become one of Florida's foremost authorities on high school sports, appearing frequently on podcasts, radio programs and digital broadcasts as an expert on team rankings, recruiting and much more.