Scholar Stories: Newsome Hitting it 'Out of the Park' in Master's Program, Coaching
10/17/2018 10:47:00 AM | Football, Features
Continuing the popular series that began in 2016-17, each Wednesday MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories, presented by Prairie Farms.
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Grant Newsome has had the complete Gerald R. Ford experience at the University of Michigan.
While starting at offensive tackle for the Wolverines, and now as a volunteer assistant coach, his athletic home has been Schembechler Hall. The retired No. 48 of Ford, a center on the 1932 and 1933 national championship teams and MVP of the 1934 Wolverines, is prominently displayed there in the building named for the Michigan coach who also became his close personal friend.
Now, Newsome is pursuing his master's degree in public policy at the university's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, having earned his undergrad degree in American Culture with a minor in Afro-American Studies in three short years.
"It's been a great experience so far," Newsome said. "I've always had a passion for policy and the ways in which it shapes our society, shapes our country and shapes our world. I'm immersed in that every single day and challenged. You need to think critically on a whole host of issues.
"I'm not sure where it's going to take me. I'm just going with the flow, and seeing what piques my interest."
Ford, the 38th U.S. president, 1974-77, earned a degree in economics and political science at Michigan, and returned after his White House years to serve as an adjunct professor in his alma mater's political science department.
"It is interesting," said Newsome during an interview at Schembechler Hall. "Obviously, we know who Gerald Ford is, and he was a great player here, too. But just because I was so used to seeing his face in this building every day and knowing his story, it didn't really click with me until I went to the school named for him, and he was there in the atrium with a big photo of him."
The late president's son, Mike Ford, last week spoke to Newsome and others in the public policy master's program to discuss his mother and the recently published book -- "Betty Ford: First Lady, Women's Advocate, Survivor, Trailblazer" -- along with its author, Lisa McCubbin.
"It was a momentous occasion," said Newsome. "There was a different air in the room, and any time you meet somebody so close to the presidency, it's special."
Newsome will serve as moderator of an Oct. 23 presentation at the Ford School of Public Policy by former Wolverine tailback Vincent Smith, an advocate for community vegetable gardens, and Demond Johnson, CEO of A2 Fitness Professionals, titled: "Staying Healthy in a Stressful World."
Newsome said he has been impacted by his college professors from day one.
"One of my favorite professors is my first-ever professor in my first-ever class here," said Newsome. "That was Dr. Heather Thompson. She's written a couple of books (winning the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in history for 'Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy'), and was the one who sparked my interest in American history and American culture. She was able to take history -- which traditionally sounds like a dry subject -- and transform it and make it alive in the present.
"It was transforming to me, and ultimately drove me to the American Culture major."
Newsome said he's interested in possibly teaching someday, but isn't sure which career path he will choose and is simply "keeping my options open" while searching for "inspiration" in his next two years of study at Michigan.
Numerous academic honors were bestowed upon him as an undergraduate. He was named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2016, and Academic All-Big Ten in 2016 and 2017. Newsome also won the Dr. Arthur D. Robinson Scholarship Award as Michigan's top football student-athlete.
He received the Bob P. Ufer Bequest as the football player who shows the most "love and enthusiasm" for Michigan, which is named for the former Wolverine track and field All-American who went onto become the beloved, long-time radio voice of the football team while displaying unbridled passion for the Maize and Blue.
Ufer, incidentally, also became Ford's friend and was the emcee of his presidential re-election campaign kickoff at what was then called Crisler Arena.
"It's hard to say which one of those honors means the most to me," said Newsome. "I'm just humbled and incredibly thankful for the coaching staff here and the academic staff. (Director of Football Academic Services) Claiborne Green and the entire staff at the (Ross) Academic Center for all the support they've given me.
"It takes a village -- especially in a situation like this where you're divided between a full-time role as a student and also dedicating a large amount of time to football. It's valuable to have people in your support system who are really invested in your interests on and off the field."
Newsome said he was able to juggle the demands of excellence both on campus and on the football field by "setting aside time" to create an effective weekly schedule that he stuck to each day.
"You get used to that with repetition," said Newsome. "Like Coach (Jim) Harbaugh says, 'Mind-numbing repetition.' (He chuckled.) You get into that zone where it just becomes second nature."
Newsome had become a force at offensive left tackle as a sophomore in 2016, earning Offensive Lineman of the Week honors that Sept. 10 against Central Florida and again Sept. 24 against Penn State. But he suffered a catastrophic right knee injury Oct. 1 against Wisconsin while blocking on play coming around his end. His knee turned so grotesquely and powerfully that it cut off blood circulation in the leg and nearly forced it to be amputated.
He tried mightily to come back, dispelling notions that he might never walk again, followed by those that he might never run again. But he could not overcome the magnitude of his injuries to get from the practice field to game readiness, and made the tough decision this summer to file for medical retirement.
"It was definitely an incredibly tough decision," said Newsome. "It was one of the toughest decisions or things I've had to do in my life to just walk away from a game that means so much to you. But I don't regret it, and haven't regretted it for a day since I made that decision.
"I still have the same amount of responsibilities here. But I'm probably actually spending more time here as a student coach than I did as a player. There's more that goes into coaching than people realize or even that I realized."
He is assisting Wolverine tight ends coach Sherrone Moore in film study and practices.
"I asked Coach Harbaugh to coach," said Newsome. "I joked with my parents that I didn't know what I'd do if I didn't have football. I'd be sitting in my room, staring at the wall, wondering what I'm supposed to do.
"There is a great group of people here who I will be friends with for life, and great coaches and great staff members around the building. So, it was a no-brainer for me to stay in the program, and fortunate enough to continue doing what I love."
He made the decision to work with a position group that is part of the offensive line, but also entails receiving, rather than staying with the tackles he played with.
"I was really interested in taking on a new challenge," said Newsome, "and learning a different aspect of the offense, getting the full sphere, if you will, of the offense. On the offensive line, you read the front seven. Now, I've been forced to learn how to read secondaries and rotations.
"With the added benefit that if I do want to pursue coaching down the road, I would have that much more knowledge. I provide any assistance I can, and also work on the defensive breakdowns. I'm watching a lot of film. It helps having as many eyes as you can on film for different perspectives and mind-sets. You study the tendencies in personnel.
"It's been an honor and great experience to still be that close to the game."
He noted that there's also "gratification" from watching budding sophomore tight end Nick Eubanks take off as a blocker.
Might he coach in the future?
"I probably hope the coaching bug just bites me," said Newsome, "and I just kind of double back. But we'll see. Football's a unique game where you just can't seem to quit it."
He hopes to continue coaching at Michigan next season, during his final year in the master's program.
He was able to hit the floor running academically at Michigan after graduating from The Lawrenceville (N.J.) School, which has produced U.S. Senators, state governors and congressmen, and alumni such as Forbes Magazine publisher Malcolm Forbes and former Walt Disney CEO Michael Eisner, as well as singers Dierks Bentley and Huey Lewis.
"It was a tremendous advantage," said Newsome. "The preparation and education and familiarity with an advanced course load, and having to take responsibility, and having to learn how to manage your time, and just being on my own at such a young age, you learn those skills with the guidance of everyone at The Lawrenceville School. I was a little more mature."
The sky has always been and continues being the limit for Newsome, who cherishes the entire Michigan experience.
"It's been a whirlwind," he said. "You go from coming here and being shell-shocked from the football aspect of it, and just how much faster, bigger and tougher everyone was, more than you could've possibly imagined.
"To get on the field as a freshman and start as a sophomore -- and kind of be on the highest of highs -- and have it come crashing down. But then, at the same time, being able to get built back up and be in the position I'm in now. It's just been a whirlwind and a rollercoaster, any adjective you would want. It's just been an incredible thing."
When asked about Newsome both as a coach and student, Harbaugh said, "Well, he's knocking both out of the park without a doubt -- to the point where he can go around the bases twice he's hitting it so far. What he's done academically has always been at the top of the class, very close to the perfect 4.0 grade-point average, taking as much rigor as he possibly can.
"And, as a football coach, exceptional as an underclassman, better than anyone I've ever seen. He contributes daily, weekly, not only in scouting reports, but in games he's contributed. I think anybody around here would tell you that it's at the highest level as an individual.
"Whatever he does, whatever he touches, he's just really good at it."
