A&M's recruiting roll continues with another 4-star commit
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Texas A&M's white-hot run on the recruiting trail continued Friday night with the commitment of 4-star offensive lineman Jonte Newman of Bridgeland.
The 6-foot-6, 280-pound Newman had been an A&M lean for some time and made his intentions clear to the Aggie coaching staff last weekend. Newman had offers from prominent colleges nationwide, including ones from Oregon, USC, Oklahoma, Alabama and Tennessee.
But it was Texas who provided the biggest competition for the Aggies, with Newman even setting up an official visit for mid-June in Austin. Still, the rapport that Newman had developed with new offensive line coach Adam Cushing helped him to decide that A&M was the right place for him.
Newman is A&M's ninth commit and their eighth from the state of Texas. The commits are evenly split between the Houston area and Dallas/Forth Worth.
Newman is the fourth offensive lineman to join the 2025 recruiting class and the third in a week. Marcus Garcia of Denton Ryan committed last Sunday and Connor Carty of Prosper committed yesterday. All are 4-star prospects.
Newman's commitment pushes A&M into the top 10 in the Rivals rankings, moving them to ninth overall for the 2025 class.
Analysis of A&M's newest commit
Offensive line coach Adam Cushing is picking up offensive linemen who have some quickness to them. Newman isn't going to win a sprint at a track meet, but he moves very well for a guy of his size. And there's something rather terrifying about a 6-foot-6, 280-pound pulling lead blocker.
Newman is a solid run blocker. He can get out in front of his ball carrier on counters and absorbs his opposing lineman on power runs. He also has the speed to get outside and block on bubble screens, something you don't see a lot of in high school.
While Connor Carty impressed me with his run blocking, Newman impressed me with his pass protection. He has really good lateral movement and can get outside to cut off an edge rusher trying to turn the corner. He keeps his knees bent and uses his arms to keep opposing pass rushers at a distance. It's very fundamentally sound work.
Newman could get up to 300 pounds or so without much effort. When he gets a little stronger and improves his punch, he'll be an even better run blocker. But you want your left tackle to keep your quarterback upright, first and foremost, and I think Newman can do just that. A&M has been looking for a left tackle, and Newman may end up being that guy.