Miami adds another developmental body to the DL room
In this installment of The Recruiting Notebook, we meet a defender who adds potential and depth to the Miami defense: Newberry (FL) 3-star DL Mykah Newton.
Bio
As Miami looked to add talent and depth to the defensive line, they turned their recruiting attention to Newberry (FL) DL Mykah Newton.
A 6’2” 255lb lineman, Newton is a player who has long made his presence known at the HSFB level. This started with a solid freshman year for Newberry in 2021, in which Newton had 32 tackles, 4 TFLs, and 2 QB hurries. Solid work for a 9th grader, to be sure.
The breakout for Newton came as a sophomore. 58 tackles, 15 TFLs, 14 sacks, 8 QBH and 2 FF set the stage for Newton to become a P4 recruit. Offers from Miami, UCF, Tennessee, NC State, Michigan State, and a gang of Group of 5 schools poured in, giving Newton a bunch of options for his collegiate home.
Back on the field as a junior, Newton continued to show his talent every Friday night, taking his production to even higher levels. 62 tackles, 26 TFLs, 13 sacks, 6 QBH, 3 FF and a FR. A late Unofficial Visit to Tennessee got things kicked off for Newton, and it didn’t stop there.
Junior Day visits to UCF and Tennessee set the stage for Spring Official Visits to Michigan State, NC State, and UCF. And, after taking those OV’s, Newton committed to NC State, a team that has been great at DL evaluations and development for nearly 20 years.
Following that commitment, however, Miami had seen enough and decided to make a move for Newton. After getting him on campus for an Unofficial Visit, Newton decommitted from NC State and flipped to Miami on August 16th.
Newton’s strong play as a senior helped Newberry to a 10-3 record, and a playoff run that ended in the Regional Finals with a loss to Cocoa. For the year, Newton had 60 tackles, 21 TFLs, 9 sacks, 14 QBH, and INT and a FF. Oh, and that’s not even including the stats from the Regional Final, so it’s likely that we add a few tackles to the list, at a minimum.
Recruiting Ranking
On the 247sports composite, Newton is a 3-star prospect, the #67 DT nationally, #113 in the State of Florida, and #867 player overall in this class.
Newton flipped his commitment from NC State to Miami over a list of 22 scholarship offers from around the country.
As A Player
At 6’2” 255lbs, Newton is a bit of a tweener as a player. He’s a bit shorter than you’d like at 6’2”, and at 255lbs he’s a bit big for EDGE at his height, but not big enough for DT. Figuring out his best and future position will be the first step toward making a choice on how to develop his body.
Regardless of his tweener size, Newton has been a terror in the backfield for years. He has good quickness which he uses against tackles and guards with equal success. Newton has good bend going around the edge, which helps lead to the big TFL and sack numbers he’s put up over the course of his HS career.
Newton has a non-stop motor, and chases plays down from sideline to sideline. This is the kind of effort that teams need, and having a player like Newton raises the floor for effort at a minimum.
For another look at Newton, here’s an eval from 247sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins:
Compact edge defender with a solid motor that has generated plenty of pressure while facing a lower level of competition down in the Sunshine State. Measured roughly 6-foot-2, 260 pounds multiple times in the months leading up to senior season and is blessed with some additional length in the arms. Displays good initial quickness and can win with both speed and power. Shifts his weight well while rounding the corner and is frequently in control of his body. Has experience operating out of both a two and three-point stance and should offer some alignment flexibility at the next level as he’s on the younger side and the body appears to be still maturing. Overall, projects as a potential multi-year contributor at the Power Four level.
Strengths
- Quickness
- Productivity
- Relative youth for his grade
Weaknesses
- Tweener size
- Technique
- Strength
Miami Outlook
Note: changed this up from just a freshman-season outlook to a career outlook for each player a few years ago and we’re continuing that style this year as well.
One of the strengths of the Miami defense is the DL, and adding Newton is a move that will continue to have that be the case in the future. The quickest path to playing time for Newton would be at EDGE, where he could be a more athletic version of Trent Harris, the trusty, but undersized, player from the Al Golden years.
If he moves inside to Tackle, there would be a longer timeline for Newton to see the field, in my opinion. He’ll need to add size and strength, and work on techniques other than “get up the field as fast as possible” to work on the inside.
Newton figures to be a rotational player down the line with his relative lack of height/length for the edge, and size/strength for playing inside. If he’s able to be a reliable player off the bench for a few plays, that would be a win for Miami. Anything past that would be a much-welcomed bonus for Newton’s career impact as a Hurricane.
That’s it for this installment of The Recruiting Notebook.