July 26, 2023

CHAMPAIGN, Ill — Illinois junior defensive lineman Jer’Zhan Newton earned Big Ten Preseason Honors, the conference announced on Wednesday morning. Newton is one of 10 conference student-athletes to achieve the accolade, and he is one of five players on the list from the Big Ten West.

Newton earned consensus All-Big Ten first-team honors following a dominant 2022 campaign, registering career-highs in tackles (62), tackles for loss (14), sacks (5.5), and fumble recoveries (2). The lone Big Ten defensive lineman to play at least 400 snaps, Newton started all 13 games for the Orange and Blue and earned second-team All-America status from Associated Press, CBS, PFF, and Walter Camp, and third-team All-America from Phil Steele.

A key piece of the Illini’s top-ranked scoring defense one season ago, Newton led Power-5 interior defensive linemen in pressures, recorded the joint-most quarterback hits in the nation, and earned PFF’s highest defensive, run defense, and pass rush grades among conference players at his position.

Heading into the 2023 season, Newton has also secured preseason All-America and All-Big Ten honors from Athlon and Phil Steele and was named to the Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List.

Newton is the first Illini to be named to the conference’s preseason list since Nate Scheelhaase in 2011, when the Big Ten divisions were designated as Leaders and Legends.

Iowa’s Cooper DeJean, Minnesota’s Brevyn Spann-Ford and Tyler Nubin, and Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen rounded out the list of Big Ten West honorees, while Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa, Michigan’s Blake Corum and J.J. McCarthy, Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., and Penn State’s Olumuyiwa Fashanu are the conference’s Big Ten East representatives.

COURTESY ILLINOIS ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS