Jonathan Newsome Pulls the Trigger

Jonathan Newsome saw everything that he wanted to see from Ohio State and other college programs. So he decided to call Ohio State’s defensive backfield coach Tavor Johnson and commit to be a Buckeye.

By Steve Patterson

Loving Ohio State

    Cleveland Glenville linebacker/defensive end Jonathan Newsome wanted to wait before committing to a college but after a number of visits he felt Ohio State was the right place for him. “What led me to my commitment was that I got to see other schools for the first time and while they were nice places (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State) I didn’t have that feeling I had when I was at Ohio State.” He told us last night.

    Newsome fell in love with Ohio State and everyone around him is also very much enamored with everything that makes up the university. “I love Ohio State, my mother loves Ohio State, and coach Ginn really loves Ohio State. So I knew in the end where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do with my life so Ohio State was the best fit.”

Making the Call        

    He was told not to make a rush decision even as the 2009 class as filing up quickly with one highly ranked recruit after another. “I called coach Johnson first to let him know where my mind was and he told me that if that’s what I wanted to do then great but he warned me to take my time and that there was no rush for me to decide anytime soon.” But he knew where he wanted to be. “So I thought it over and over and I said "u know what? Forget it. I know what I want to do so there’s no need to wait any longer.”

    Coach Tressel is really grateful every time a young man decides to join the football program and with Newsome the feelings were the same. “Then I called Coach Tressel and he got all excited and just told me he was happy that I made the choice I did. After that I talked to Coach Ginn and he was happy for me. He's done a lot for me and I would say he had a big influence on my decision. He has a solid relationship with Ohio State and I would hate to be the one to mess it up.” He explained about the Glenville pipeline.

2009 Recruits Congratulate

    A number of defensive players contacted Newsome to welcome him to the family shortly after his decision. “I got text messages from every recruiting website in the world that day, but none of my texts were more important then the ones I got from Melvin Fellows, Adam Bellamy and Jamie Wood. Those guys are my future teammates on Ohio State’s defense and it’s good to know that I’ll have some cool people on the field with me that happen to be very good.”

Summer Enrollment

    “I probably won’t enroll early due to me not having enough credits but I do plan on working harder then ever when I get there because I have a lot to prove to the coaches, fans and myself.” Newsome told us about his plans to wait until after he graduates in June to enroll at Ohio State.

    He has already begun to set some high goals for when he does arrive in Columbus. “My goal is to not have to red-shirt. It’s a long shot but I’ve been in situations like that before and I’ve come out on top.”

    Newsome transferred to Glenville and had to earn a position on the team similar to his new goal as a Buckeye. “It’s kind of like when I first got to Glenville with all their talent and fought until I got a varsity letter. I was at Benedictine my freshman year and then I transferred before the school year ended.”