Grant Newsome (image via Freep)
Name: Grant Newsome
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 318 lbs.
High school: Lawrenceville (NJ) Lawrenceville School
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #77
Last year: I ranked Newsome #95 and said he would redshirt due to his knee injury (LINK). He redshirted.
At this point there’s not a whole lot to be said about Grant Newsome that hasn’t been delved into extensively already. He shredded his knee against Wisconsin in 2016, almost had to have his leg amputated, and missed all of last year. He hoped to be cleared to play this past spring, and he did participate in some drills. However, he was not cleared for contact.
And he may never be cleared for contact. If clearance wasn’t coming by the spring, then I doubt he’ll be able to contribute much on the field this fall, if anything. Would it be best to sit out a second straight season and hope to be cleared in 2019? If he’s not cleared this year, will he medically retire? If anyone deserves a sixth year of eligibility on the horizon, it’s Newsome, who’s on the verge of missing a second full season. Newsome has been a very good, publicly outspoken diplomat for the program, and he seems like a kid who might have a future in coaching. I think he will sit out this season once again, but if he walks on the field to play this fall, he’s deserving of a standing ovation all to his own.
Prediction: Redshirt season #2
