Football
- Title:
- Tight Ends
Grant Newsome is in his fourth season as a full-time assistant coach with the Wolverines, and his second as the Donald C. Graham Offensive Line Coach, in 2025. He has been part of the U-M program since 2015, making 2025 his 11th overall season as a coach and player.
Â
Before taking over the offensive line, Newsome coached the team’s tight ends for his first two years (2022-23) as a full-time assistant, the same group he led as a student assistant in 2018-19. A Michigan letterman himself at tackle, he spent two years (2020-21) as a graduate assistant working with the offensive line in between stops in the tight end room. Newsome was named as one of 247Sports’ Top 30 Under 30 in 2021, and was also named to the Class of 2023 American Football Coaches Association 35 Under 35.
Â
A two-time Michigan graduate, Newsome has proven himself to be a high-end developer and motivator of his players. He is technique-driven in his coaching with an eye for recognizing talent and forming relationships on the recruiting trail.
Â
Newsome has helped five players secure All-Big Ten honors as an assistant coach: Luke Schoonmaker (third team, 2022), Colston Loveland (first team, 2023), AJ Barner (honorable mention, 2023), Myles Hinton, and Josh Priebe (honorable mention, 2024). The tight end group also contributed to the offensive line unit that became the first-ever group to win consecutive Joe Moore Awards (2021-22).
Â
In 2024, the offensive line helped drive an offense that supported a near-1,000-yard back (948 yards, Kalel Mullings), a Mackey Award finalist tight end (Colston Loveland), and produced 18 rushing touchdowns. Eight players made starting contributions during the year, including true freshman Andrew Sprague, who made his first career start in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
The tight end group passed 60 receptions in both of Newsome's seasons leading the room, led by career-best seasons from Schoonmaker (35 catches, 418 yards, three touchdowns) in 2022 and Loveland (45, 649, 4) in 2023. Loveland built on a 2022 freshman season with 16 catches for two touchdowns in the final three games.
The offense has been a top-15 unit in points per game in both seasons with Newsome on the staff, ranking sixth in 2022 (40.4) and 14th in 2023 (35.9).
As a graduate student, Newsome was an important factor for an offensive line that yielded just 22 sacks and 61 tackles for loss in 1,354 offensive plays across two seasons (2020-21). He was key in helping the unit win the 2021 Joe Moore Award as the nation’s most outstanding offensive line. The line led the nation in tackles for loss allowed per game (2.43) and ranked fifth in sacks (1.0) in 2021 after finishing 17th (4.5) and 18th (1.5) in the 2020 season. All five 2021 starters earned all-conference honors, with four of the five earning first- or second-team accolades.
Newsome was an assistant tight ends coach for two seasons (2018-19). Along with Coach Sherrone Moore, Newsome helped develop three tight ends who earned All-Big Ten honors and reached the NFL: Zach Gentry, Sean McKeon, and Nick Eubanks. The crew accounted for 98 receptions for 1,366 yards (13.9 avg.) and 12 touchdowns over the two seasons that Newsome worked with the unit.
A former Wolverine offensive tackle, Newsome moved into coaching after his playing career ended prematurely due to a serious injury that forced him to medically retire. He was a two-year letterman (2015-16), earning those letters as a true freshman and sophomore while appearing in 10 contests. Newsome made one start in five appearances his first year, lining up as the sixth lineman at Minnesota in his collegiate debut. He made five more starts at left tackle as a sophomore, earning the team's Offensive Lineman of the Game honors twice before sustaining an injury in the fifth game of the year.
Newsome earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in both of his two eligible seasons. Following the 2016 season, he was named the Dr. Arthur D. Robinson Scholarship Award as the team's top student-athlete and was the recipient of the Robert P. Ufer Bequest, given to the player who shows the most love and enthusiasm for Michigan.
Newsome earned two degrees from the University of Michigan, a bachelor’s in American Culture (2018) and a master’s in Public Policy (2020).
Newsome and his wife, Caroline (Coco), reside in Ann Arbor.
THE NEWSOME FILE
Hometown: McLean, Virginia
High School: The Lawrenceville School (N.J.)
Bachelor's Degree: University of Michigan (American Culture, 2018)
Master's Degree: University of Michigan (Public Policy, 2020)
Wife: Caroline (Coco)
COACHING EXPERIENCE
| Year | Team | Position |
| 2018-19 | Michigan | Student Assistant (Tight Ends) |
| 2020-21 | Michigan | Graduate Assistant (Offensve Line) |
| 2022-2023 | Michigan | Tight Ends |
| 2024- | Michigan | Offensive Line |
