Brad Newman (Squan) - story on him in today's Boston Herald
Freshman fullback is making impact at BC
By Steve ConroyFriday, September 28, 2007
Boston Herald Sports Reporter
Boston College fullback Brad Newman knows things can change in a hurry.
Last year, Newman was one of the top high school players in New Jersey, playing tight end and defensive end for Manasquan High School, earning All-State first-team honors for the latter.
But as of early last January, Newman did not have any Division 1 scholarship offers and as a result, was all set to go to Div. 1-AA Delaware to play tight end. But with the coaching change at The Heights came an increased interest in the 6-foot-2, 250-pound Newman, who Jeff Jagodzinski viewed as a fullback. And although Newman had never played the position before, he jumped at the offer.
And now, with starting fullback James McCluskey out with a knee injury, Newman should see additional playing time tomorrow against UMass.
“It’s been an interesting season so far, from going from the point of not knowing whether I was going to redshirt to the position that I’ve been put in now,” the true freshman said. “It’s been fun and it’s been interesting.”
Jagodzinski sees Newman as the type of player he’d like to sprinkle throughout his roster.
“We saw that he was a tough kid, and I don’t think you could have enough of those type of bodies,” the first-year coach said. “He’s playing fullback for us, but he could play H-back, linebacker. All those guys are the same, and I think if you can get five or six of those guys in your program a year, they’re all going to play somewhere. Brad’s playing now because of James’ situation.”
And like a good Jersey kid, he’s using the snub from the others schools as motivation.
“I came in here at the beginning of the season with a chip on my shoulder trying to prove people wrong,” said Newman, who recovered a fumble on special teams against North Carolina State. “I knew I could do it, my coaches knew I could do it and people from back home knew I could do it. It’s been really, really gratifying this season, being able to get onto the field and give it my all.”
When Newman saw McCluskey hurt his knee while driving for a first down last week against Army, he knew his responsibilities would increase.
“First off, more than anything, when I saw James go down I felt bad for him. He’s a good guy, he’s a hard worker and he’s a hell of a football player,” Newman said. “But in the back of my mind, I knew I had to step up and perform my role.”
Newman said the BC veterans have helped him with the transition from high school to college ball.
“The older guys have been real helpful,” he said. “We’ve got a bunch of good leaders on this team like (Gosder Cherilus) and Matt Ryan and everyone else. They are there for you. With them and the chemistry that the team has, it’s been pretty easy sliding in as a freshman, playing my role.”
So far, Newman is soaking in the atmosphere.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” he said. “I went from playing in front of a couple of thousand in high school to playing in front of tens of thousands here. The Georgia Tech game was really a neat game for me. We rode the bus down frat row and everyone’s giving us the finger and stuff. Then you go into the stadium and you’ve got fans yelling at you. It was a really unique experience for me so far. I can’t imagine what Virginia Tech and some of those other places are like.”
He’ll get to find that out soon enough.
By Steve ConroyFriday, September 28, 2007
Boston Herald Sports Reporter
Boston College fullback Brad Newman knows things can change in a hurry.
Last year, Newman was one of the top high school players in New Jersey, playing tight end and defensive end for Manasquan High School, earning All-State first-team honors for the latter.
But as of early last January, Newman did not have any Division 1 scholarship offers and as a result, was all set to go to Div. 1-AA Delaware to play tight end. But with the coaching change at The Heights came an increased interest in the 6-foot-2, 250-pound Newman, who Jeff Jagodzinski viewed as a fullback. And although Newman had never played the position before, he jumped at the offer.
And now, with starting fullback James McCluskey out with a knee injury, Newman should see additional playing time tomorrow against UMass.
“It’s been an interesting season so far, from going from the point of not knowing whether I was going to redshirt to the position that I’ve been put in now,” the true freshman said. “It’s been fun and it’s been interesting.”
Jagodzinski sees Newman as the type of player he’d like to sprinkle throughout his roster.
“We saw that he was a tough kid, and I don’t think you could have enough of those type of bodies,” the first-year coach said. “He’s playing fullback for us, but he could play H-back, linebacker. All those guys are the same, and I think if you can get five or six of those guys in your program a year, they’re all going to play somewhere. Brad’s playing now because of James’ situation.”
And like a good Jersey kid, he’s using the snub from the others schools as motivation.
“I came in here at the beginning of the season with a chip on my shoulder trying to prove people wrong,” said Newman, who recovered a fumble on special teams against North Carolina State. “I knew I could do it, my coaches knew I could do it and people from back home knew I could do it. It’s been really, really gratifying this season, being able to get onto the field and give it my all.”
When Newman saw McCluskey hurt his knee while driving for a first down last week against Army, he knew his responsibilities would increase.
“First off, more than anything, when I saw James go down I felt bad for him. He’s a good guy, he’s a hard worker and he’s a hell of a football player,” Newman said. “But in the back of my mind, I knew I had to step up and perform my role.”
Newman said the BC veterans have helped him with the transition from high school to college ball.
“The older guys have been real helpful,” he said. “We’ve got a bunch of good leaders on this team like (Gosder Cherilus) and Matt Ryan and everyone else. They are there for you. With them and the chemistry that the team has, it’s been pretty easy sliding in as a freshman, playing my role.”
So far, Newman is soaking in the atmosphere.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” he said. “I went from playing in front of a couple of thousand in high school to playing in front of tens of thousands here. The Georgia Tech game was really a neat game for me. We rode the bus down frat row and everyone’s giving us the finger and stuff. Then you go into the stadium and you’ve got fans yelling at you. It was a really unique experience for me so far. I can’t imagine what Virginia Tech and some of those other places are like.”
He’ll get to find that out soon enough.
posted by Tony Graham at 8:10 AM
2 Comments:
he'll never play a skill position, too slow
Re: Brad will never play a skill position.
Hello???.
Brad played some fullback Saturday, got this from the BC SID.
He did not carry the ball though.
Post a Comment
<< Home