Luke Newman realizing ‘special’ dream of returning home, playing for Michigan State
East Lansing, Mich. – Long before he ever stepped onto Michigan State’s campus as Spartan football player, Luke Newman was merely a young Spartan fan, the son of two Michigan State alums who regularly attended games in East Lansing.
As he grew older, Newman – a native of Bloomfield Hills, Mich. – witnessed Michigan State’s rise under Mark Dantonio, all while preparing to embark on his own football journey. By the time he finished high school, Newman – at the time an undersized offensive line prospect – had accumulated just two college offers from FCS schools Holy Cross and Lafayette College of the Patriot League.
Newman eventually chose Holy Cross, where he would go on to start 37 consecutive games at left tackle and earn FCS All-American honors twice across four seasons. By the time last season ended, and Newman had collected his third consecutive All-Patriot League honor, he began to think about his future plans.
After briefly considering a departure from the college game, Newman felt he still had room to grow as a player. He had the option to return to Holy Cross using his COVID year, but Newman was in search of something different; a new kind of challenge.
So, he chose to enter the portal and move up a level, to the school he grew up rooting for.
“At this point last year, when I was at Holy Cross, I definitely thought, ‘This is my last year of college football,’” Newman said. “But as the year kind of went along, I gathered myself and I thought, ‘Hey, maybe I’d like to showcase a little guard and center, somewhere on the interior that would better appeal to NFL teams, given that I just played left tackle for all four (years).’
“I thought that coming to Michigan State would certainly challenge me, push me to learn a new offense, learn a new position and really just get acquainted with a whole bunch of great guys. I can certainly say that it’s been great so far. We’re making good progress. Just looking to keep it going.”
Newman got in contact with Michigan State about one week after he entered the portal. At that point, Jonathan Smith was only a few days into his new venture as Spartan head coach. But Smith and his offensive line coach, Jim Michalczik, quickly identified Newman as a priority target, as did several other Power Four teams.
“I got to talk with coach M a little bit, get to know about him, his staff, his coaching style on the offensive line and really getting to know this staff,” Newman said of his first interactions with Michigan State. “I mean, these are some great coaches that I’ve had the honor of being around these last couple of weeks. Very thrilled to be around them, learn from them. So yeah, I would say we just built that relationship over the course of a month, and by the time I took my official visit here, I mean, I was in love with this place and I didn’t want to see myself go anywhere else.”
Of course, Newman had plenty of experience on Michigan State’s campus prior to his official visit in January. On Thursday, Newman recalled making several one-hour drives from his home to East Lansing as a kid. There, he watched several Dantonio-era players leave indelible impacts on the program.
Now, he wants to leave a legacy of his own.
“This is such a storied program,” Newman said. “I grew up knowing some of the big names who came through here. Kirk Cousins, Connor Cook, Jack Conklin, all these great names who have had the honor of wearing the green and white. I’m happy to follow in those steps as well and hold myself to a standard they set here many years ago.”
Before he could think about making an impact on the field, though, Newman had to get acquainted with his new teammates off of it. Despite growing up in the state, Newman said he didn’t know anybody on Michigan State’s roster before transferring there.
“Everyone here was very new,” Newman said. “I made it a priority for myself on day one to get to know the guys, get to know the coaches, support staff, everyone – to get acquainted, not just learning their names, but learning a little bit about themselves, who they are. I feel like that’s the cornerstone of any great team, building that good camaraderie and chemistry, being able to sit down and have a conversation with guys that doesn’t always have to be about football. Get to know their family, get to know their likes and dislikes. I think all of that goes a long way and it showcases on the field.”
It can be intimidating for any player to change schools, let alone transfer up a level. The competition is greater, the lights are brighter and the expectations are higher. But Newman felt like he could make it.
Newman only played a handful of FBS opponents during his time at Holy Cross, but those games served as confidence-boosters for the 6-foot-4, 315-pound Brother Rice High School product.
“I was very confident in my abilities,” Newman said. “I was coming out of Holy Cross, where you’re not facing Big Ten competition everyday, but I believed in myself. I’ve known that I’ve been able to do it against high competition, in some of the FBS games that we played at Holy Cross.
“(I’m) really just taking it day-by-day. Obviously it’s more repetitive with the skill level you’re going against everyday, whereas at Holy Cross, you play one or two FBS teams a year. So certainly it’s a big grind day-in and day-out, but I don’t think there was really ever a doubt. I was very confident in my abilities. Obviously there’s still a lot of work to do, but confidence is not an issue.”
Ultimately, Michigan State’s interest in Newman helped ease any nerves they may have popped up during the transfer process. Michigan State viewed Newman as a “need,” as opposed to a “want,” as he put it Thursday. That’s also how he believed Holy Cross viewed him five years ago as a 6-foot-3, 250-pound high school senior.
That belief gave Newman the confidence to operate freely in practice and on game days, which in turn helped him develop into an impact player for the Crusaders.
Now a Spartan, Newman has already begun to feel the difference between the FCS and FBS levels through three weeks of fall practice. There have been adjustment periods, but Newman feels like he’s on pace to contribute at Michigan State, just like he did at Holy Cross. This time, he’ll be playing in the stadium he so often attended as a kid.
“I’m very happy with my decision,” Newman said. “As I said, this coaching staff, with the experience and camaraderie that they have as a unit, it’s been very easy for this transition that I’ve had here at Michigan State. Obviously it’s been very challenging. I’m learning a new position, a new playbook, all that comes with it. But I came here for a challenge and think that’s exactly what I’m getting here three weeks into camp. It’s really fun to go in day-in and day-out and push myself to become a better player.”
“It certainly feels special,” Newman continued. “To be wearing the green and white has been a dream of a lifetime for me. It’s really just something that makes this whole journey, coming here, a whole lot more special.”
The post Luke Newman realizing ‘special’ dream of returning home, playing for Michigan State appeared first on On3.
