Kornacki: Newsome Credits Drevno for Starting Position
9/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 6, 2016
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The NFL connection most University of Michigan football coaches possess speeds up the development of their players, and there are few clearer examples of that than Wolverine starting left tackle Grant Newsome and offensive line coach Tim Drevno.
Newsome, a sophomore who didn't play football until high school, didn't hesitate when asked what's enabled him to become a factor so quickly.
"I think just the coaching," he said. "Last year, I came in really, really raw. I still think I'm pretty raw but being able to get under Coach Drevno's wing and study him and also study some of the older guys like Erik Magnuson, Kyle Kalis, Ben Braden and then, last year, Graham Glasgow, have been really instrumental in helping me develop as a player."
Glasgow, now pushing to start as a rookie with the Detroit Lions, isn't the only NFL lineman Newsome studies. He's taken to watching tape of San Francisco 49ers five-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Joe Staley, who became a Pro Bowl selection when Drevno coached him.
"I watch a lot of Joe Staley just because that's another guy who Coach Drevno has coached," said Newsome. "We watch a lot of the 49ers because they are guys he's coached and guys that we know and are able to interact with some.
"(Staley's) a great left tackle and probably the best left tackle in the NFL right now. His pass set is beautiful to watch. We'll sit in the offensive line room and watch his pass set, and we're really in awe because it's incredible. I try to take little pieces of his game and put it in mine."
Newsome said Drevno, also Michigan's offensive coordinator, helped him most with "refining my technique" once he began facing other behemoths and required precision to find an edge.
"Most offensive linemen in high school are the biggest and strongest in their league," said Newsome. "So, if your technique fails, it doesn't really matter. But in the college game, if your technique's off, even by a little bit, you are going to get beat."
Newsome, 6-foot-7 and 318 pounds, also is versatile enough to play guard, stressing that all the Wolverines play multiple line positions in order for Drevno to find the best combinations of players. Newsome also played defensive line for The Lawrenceville School, a demanding, 206-year-old learning institution located just north of Trenton, New Jersey.
"I started playing football my freshman year in high school," said Newsome. "I was pretty big then, probably 6-3, 260."
He was a lineman from the very start and one who makes a good first impression.
Newsome caught Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh's attention pretty early last year as a true freshman. He was called upon in the final five games, and started at Minnesota.
"I had the attitude last year that I wanted to come in and compete and try to get on the field," said Newsome.
It didn't matter to Newsome that he didn't play in a game until just past the halfway point of the schedule. He'd rather have played on the team that finished 10-3 and ranked No. 12 nationally than preserved a full season of eligibility.
"I was happy about it," said Newsome. "I was a freshman at the time and still a young guy. Who am I to tell Coach Harbaugh, who has been doing this for 25 years, what's best for my future.
"It really wasn't a choice for me. They said I should play, and I said, 'Yes, please.' It was a big boost to my confidence knowing they were confident in me. I knew they weren't going to put someone who wasn't ready out onto the field."
When left tackle Mason Cole switched to center in the spring, Newsome became the front-runner to replace him as the quarterback's primary blindside protector.
"He's been a huge help to me," Newsome said of Cole, "and not only because he played left tackle. Having a guy on the line who knows the calls so well and the defenses so well helps the rest of the line because he's so on."
True freshman Ben Bredeson was good and talented enough to push Newsome for the starting role in pre-season camp, but Newsome started the opener against Hawaii, and Bredeson played plenty right next to him at left guard.
"He's going to be a great player," Newsome said of Bredeson. "I think he's a great player right now. Competition is great. It only makes one another better. He really pushed me throughout camp, and I think he's still going to push me. I know I have to earn a starting spot every day, and it forces me to be better."
Newsome said he feels "more comfortable" after refining both his game and technique between seasons. He added that going against Wolverine defensive end Taco Charlton, whom he described as "a future NFL player" in practices has been a significant help.
"Before playing Hawaii," said Newsome, "(Charlton) was giving me some tricks and tips."
Harbaugh said of his game performance at Monday's (Sept. 5) press conference: "Grant continues to be one of our top linemen."
Newsome added, "I thought it was definitely a good start, but there's a lot to improve. I think we'll see that when we go over the film with Coach Drevno. It was good to get out there and get my first start under my belt."
When asked what he did best, Newsome elected to instead stress where the team excelled: moving the ball beginning with a 98-yard touchdown drive in Saturday's (Sept. 3) 63-3 win over Hawaii, making plays and converting all seven third downs.
Wolverine standout defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow (Graham's younger brother) believes in Newsome.
"It's his mentality and the way he attacks the game," said Glasgow. "He's a very cerebral kid, a very smart guy. That helps him a lot. He knows all of his calls, all of his assignments and knows where people are supposed to be coming from. He recognizes blitzes, and that helps him a lot."
He thinks well on his feet, which also are pretty quick, thanks to playing basketball and lacrosse at The Lawrenceville School; he also played some baseball growing up.
"Lacrosse and basketball are both a lot of foot speed," he said. "A lot of it translates over to the offensive line with foot speed and foot quickness."
Newsome said he was a backup tackle on the junior varsity as a high school freshman.
"It was a gut check for me -- a reality check," he said. "But in my sophomore year I was able to start as a right tackle and got a (scholarship) offer from Rutgers that April. So, that was an eye-opening experience for me. I thought, 'I should probably take this pretty seriously because I have a future in it.' "
And for the Wolverines, Newsome's future is now.
