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Illinois Football: Illini flip Jerzhan “Johnny” Newton from Maryland

The defensive tackle position is being addressed already. We have some talented players coming in from the class of 2020 who will help with those depth issues. But we needed to add some help to the end of the defensive line. That is where Newton comes into play.

Newton is a 6-foot-3, 255-pound strong-side defensive end from Clearwater Central Catholic High School and resides in Clearwater, Florida. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 821 player in the class of 2020 and the No. 42 strong-side defensive end in the nation. He is also the No.