2018 4* Juco DT Daquan Newkirk (Auburn 6/18/15)

[McLoofus 6,775]

Update 1/13/16: Enrolled at Mississippi Gulf Coast CC

Update 9/21/16 Added to 2018 commit list

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Auburn nabs a defensive end from the Sunshine State as Daquan Newkirk commits to the Tigers.

@ITATJason

Edited January 11 by ellitor

[RunInRed 2,124]

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Orlando (Fla.) First Academy DE Daquan Newkirk has committed to Auburn

@BMattAU

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"I’m extremely blessed," Newkirk said. "I’m very excited for what’s upcoming for me."

What gave Auburn the edge?

"The coaching staff, the way they conduct themselves around the players, the way they just love on one another," Newkirk said. "It's a brotherhood around here."

http://auburn.247spo...Auburn-37819662

Daquan Newkirk, WDE
Orlando, FL (First Academy)
Ht: 6'3 | Wt: 245

247Sports: 4*
Rivals: 3*
Scout: NR

Offers: Alabama, Auburn, Appalachian State, Cincinnati, Connecticut, FIU, Florida Atlantic, Georgia Southern, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisville, Marshall, Massachusetts, Middle Tennessee State, Old Dominion, Pittsburgh, Temple and Tulane, among others.

Twitter

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Following TFA’s dismantling of Orlando Colonial High during last week’s spring game, people are taking notice.

Newkirk will likely play defensive end in college but he carried the football as a running back eight times and scored four touchdowns against Colonial.

...

Then there is Newkirk, a 6-foot-4, 248-pound specimen. Simply put, he is a beast.

Colonial tacklers could not bring him down. Colonial offensive linemen could not block him. College coaches are licking their chops. Alabama is on board and his top three schools are ’Bama, UConn and Kentucky. He currently has 17 FBS offers.

The newfound attention has even started to get a little overwhelming for Newkirk.

“It’s like I have to make time for all of the calls,” he said. “It’s fun and overwhelming at the same time.”

It’s only the start. There will be more and more calls and texts and Twitter DMs as more college coaches learn about his talent.

“Daquan is probably one of the, if not the best, players I have ever had the privilege to coach,” Kinard said. “He has a tremendous upside and if he continues to work and continues to do all of the things off the field that prepare him for the field, the sky’s the limit.”

Newkirk has taken advantage of his new surroundings.

“It’s like a different change of environment. The transition coming from Evans to TFA is a big difference,” he said. “. . . Different people, new path, different way. I was hanging around the wrong friends at Evans and I came to TFA and got on the right track. It’s been great to be able to be a Royal.”

He arrived at TFA well below the standards necessary for NCAA academic qualification, but with the help of the TFA structure, as long as Newkirk continues to make strides academically, he should be able to qualify as a scholarship athlete at the FBS level.

His mom, Patricia Sowell, gets emotional when she talks about her son’s progress. Newkirk was once a wayward teen during his early years at Evans, but Sowell, who teared up when talking about his progress, says the change has been like “night and day.”

“It’s been a long, bumpy road, but with God, he made it,” she said. “... There was a lot of sweat and a lot of tears with the process. He’s done a [180]. He has changed tremendously... behavior, academically, just all around. It’s amazing. It’s wonderful. ... It’s all like tears of joy.”

...

And who knows what the future holds, but some NFL coaches have even perked their ears, especially with Newkirk’s most recent performance. That all sounds great to Newkirk.

“It means a lot, to come from the bottom to the top . . . that means a whole lot,” Newkirk said. “I just have to keep working in the classroom and in the offseason. ...

"The sky’s the limit.”

http://www.orlandose...umn.html#page=1

Hudl Highlights

[AU_Tiger_88 52]

WDE! Welcome Aboard..

[McLoofus 6,775]

People need to get used to the names Daquan Newkirk and Tre Johnson. They will begin to hear them quite frequently.

Newkirk and Johnson are two rising senior football players at Orlando’s First Academy and they're just starting to gain college football recruiting attention.

As TFA head coach Leroy Kinard says about both, “the sky is the limit,” and recruiters are starting to find out about the under-the-radar stars who won’t be under the radar much longer.

Following TFA’s dismantling of Orlando Colonial High during last week’s spring game, people are taking notice.

Newkirk will likely play defensive end in college but he carried the football as a running back eight times and scored four touchdowns against Colonial.

*****

Then there is Newkirk, a 6-foot-4, 248-pound specimen. Simply put, he is a beast.

Colonial tacklers could not bring him down. Colonial offensive linemen could not block him. College coaches are licking their chops. Alabama is on board and his top three schools are ’Bama, UConn and Kentucky. He currently has 17 FBS offers.

The newfound attention has even started to get a little overwhelming for Newkirk.

“It’s like I have to make time for all of the calls,” he said. “It’s fun and overwhelming at the same time.”

It’s only the start. There will be more and more calls and texts and Twitter DMs as more college coaches learn about his talent.

“Daquan is probably one of the, if not the best, players I have ever had the privilege to coach,” Kinard said. “He has a tremendous upside and if he continues to work and continues to do all of the things off the field that prepare him for the field, the sky’s the limit.”

Newkirk has taken advantage of his new surroundings.

“It’s like a different change of environment. The transition coming from Evans to TFA is a big difference,” he said. “. . . Different people, new path, different way. I was hanging around the wrong friends at Evans and I came to TFA and got on the right track. It’s been great to be able to be a Royal.”

He arrived at TFA well below the standards necessary for NCAA academic qualification, but with the help of the TFA structure, as long as Newkirk continues to make strides academically, he should be able to qualify as a scholarship athlete at the FBS level.

His mom, Patricia Sowell, gets emotional when she talks about her son’s progress. Newkirk was once a wayward teen during his early years at Evans, but Sowell, who teared up when talking about his progress, says the change has been like “night and day.”

“It’s been a long, bumpy road, but with God, he made it,” she said. “... There was a lot of sweat and a lot of tears with the process. He’s done a [180]. He has changed tremendously... behavior, academically, just all around. It’s amazing. It’s wonderful. ... It’s all like tears of joy.”

It hasn’t been easy for either player.

“It was a hard change at first. It was weird trying to adapt to the workflow and changes from Evans High School to TFA,” Johnson said. “It took a great amount of time for us to get used to it, but it felt good after a while. You feel more accomplished, you learn more and it feels good to be around people who actually care for you.”

And who knows what the future holds, but some NFL coaches have even perked their ears, especially with Newkirk’s most recent performance. That all sounds great to Newkirk.

“It means a lot, to come from the bottom to the top . . . that means a whole lot,” Newkirk said. “I just have to keep working in the classroom and in the offseason. ...

"The sky’s the limit.”

Kinard couldn’t have said it any better himself.

http://www.orlandose...umn.html#page=1

Edited June 18, 2015 by McLoofus

[McLoofus 6,775]

RiR, please slap my post above onto your thread. But let the record show that I beat you by a minute! (With a hastily put together, less informative OP... but still...)

[AuburnNTexas 1,200]

Measurable's look really good height, weight, and speed. I am super happy to see he signed with us but I can't find any ratings on him. I had never even seen him on the board and then we sign him. Welcome to Auburn

Edited June 18, 2015 by AuburnNTexas

[KerryThachWDE 42]

boom!

[ellitor 7,273]

Measurable's look really good height, weight, and speed. I am super happy to see he signed with us but I can't find any ratings on him. I had never even seen him on the board and then we sign him. Welcome to Auburn

Nobody signs til December or February. Edited June 18, 2015 by ellitor

[AUbritt 177]

Looks fast. Auburn fast. Boom.

[WarDamnEagleWDE 3,685]

Who?

Auburn nabs a defensive end from the Sunshine State as Daquan Newkirk commits to the Tigers.

@ITATJason

247

hudl

This^^ Not sure if this a good sign or not. Could be taking Williams spot?

[bigbird 10,216]

Measurable's look really good height, weight, and speed. I am super happy to see he signed with us but I can't find any ratings on him. I had never even seen him on the board and then we sign him. Welcome to Auburn

Nody signs til December or February.

Ellitor=>

[augolf1716 4,435]

Well this is interesting. I've never been to one of there games they have about 1200 students K thru12th grade. Makes one go hummmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[AUbritt 177]

Well this is interesting. I've never been to one of there games. Makes one go hummmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Yep. How on earth did we land this kid if you've never been to one of their games?

:-\

[FASTCOMPANY 87]

Who?

Auburn nabs a defensive end from the Sunshine State as Daquan Newkirk commits to the Tigers.

@ITATJason

247

hudl

This^^ Not sure if this a good sign or not. Could be taking Williams spot?

Quinnen Williams? I thought the coaches wanted up to 8 DL's this cycle.?

[chimesAU 89]

Who?

Auburn nabs a defensive end from the Sunshine State as Daquan Newkirk commits to the Tigers.

@ITATJason

247

hudl

Funny...I literally said "Who?" as I clicked the thread.

[McLoofus 6,775]

RiR, I was totally kidding about credit for the OP. Make it pretty for the people!

The good news is that this kid's now sure to get an honest eval from the recruiting services. Hopefully he both blows up and stays loyal.

[augolf1716 4,435]

RiR, I was totally kidding about credit for the OP. Make it pretty for the people!

The good news is that this kid's now sure to get an honest eval from the recruiting services. Hopefully he both blows up and stays loyal.

I merged it but RIR is going to have to make it pretty.

[McLoofus 6,775]

RiR, I was totally kidding about credit for the OP. Make it pretty for the people!

The good news is that this kid's now sure to get an honest eval from the recruiting services. Hopefully he both blows up and stays loyal.

I merged it but RIR is going to have to make it pretty.

[thaitopher 788]

I assume this is a classic case of the Auburn coaches finding a diamond in the rough before the rest of the world?

[AU Counsel 64]

I suspect he will jump up the boards quickly and hit 4 stars with multiple services. Probably one of those deals where a coach of ours saw him and knew he was an immediate take.

[eagle76 1]

Just wait and see. His real recruiting will just now begin.

[McLoofus 6,775]

I assume this is a classic case of the Auburn coaches finding a diamond in the rough before the rest of the world?

I suspect he will jump up the boards quickly and hit 4 stars with multiple services. Probably one of those deals where a coach of ours saw him and knew he was an immediate take.

This staff seems to have established a trend of our recruits' evaluations improving as NSD approaches.

[WarDamnEagleWDE 3,685]

I assume this is a classic case of the Auburn coaches finding a diamond in the rough before the rest of the world?

I suspect he will jump up the boards quickly and hit 4 stars with multiple services. Probably one of those deals where a coach of ours saw him and knew he was an immediate take.

This staff seems to have established a trend of our recruits' evaluations improving as NSD approaches.

Looks like uat offered two weeks ago. Per KN on 247.

[mcgufcm 1,267]

Yeah, seems like we weren't the only ones of this guy. With actual offers from Auburn and Alabama, you can expect him to show up big in the next rankings.

[AURex 318]

According to 247, he had 19 offers, including Bama, Louisville and a smattering of bottom dwellers in Big 5 conferences like Illinois and Kentucky.

The thing is, I don't remember seeing his name on any of the visitor lists for recruiting weekends like Big Cat. Maybe he did some camps to get those offers.

The young man has real potential.