Junior defensive lineman Jer’Zhan Newton took the podium at Lucas Oil Stadium for media day and spoke plenty about his appreciation for Illini fans, his teammates and most of all, his daughter, Jovi.
More can be read about Jovi here. As for the fans, Newton placed emphasis on the way they have embraced the team and how much it means to him, especially after a couple of difficult seasons.
“It’s like a 360 turnaround from my freshman, even sophomore year,” Newton said. “A lot of people are excited to watch us play now, and a lot of people even recognize us on campus.”
The 6-foot-2 lineman also added a lot about his teammates, talking about the motivation he got from seeing former teammates get drafted, as well as the love he has for them.
“I love it for them, those are my brothers and I still talk to them often,” Newton said. “I see them getting posted about their practice or in their NFL uniforms, and I repost it every day. I’m loving everything, like those boys were just in the same room as me.”
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Newton also talked a little bit about being a more shy person, which creates a good dynamic with teammate Keith Randolph Jr., who was also present.
“I’ve never been the social type of person,” Newton said. “But having him (Randolph Jr.) by my side, doing interviews or going places always comforts me.”
In terms of football and the upcoming season, Newton spoke about his belief in the team, and an interesting interpretation of the word ‘potential.’
“I don’t like using the word potential,” Newton said. “I don’t like it when people say ‘you guys have the potential to be a great team,’ like I know we should be that great team, I’m coming in with a chip on my shoulder because we lost a lot of games last year on the back end of the season that we should have won.”
Newton’s faith in the team should give Illini fans a lot to look forward to, especially after they had one of the best defenses in the nation a year ago. The Illini will kick off their season in just 36 days against Toledo, at Memorial Stadium.
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