In the early hours of a day that was no-doubt packed with Fourth of July festivities, Bret Bielema and his staff found another cause for celebration. They picked up a commitment from a face that may look familiar to some Illini fans.

On Thursday, Jershaun Newton, a 2025 3-star athlete according to 247 Sports, announced on his X that he had committed to Illinois.

He also held offers from Florida State, Indiana and Miami (Fla.), among others Power Five schools.

Newton was a dual-threat QB for Clearwater Central Catholic in St. Petersburg, Florida. In his senior season, he passed for 2,084 yards and 14 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,020 yards and five touchdowns.

On defense, he also played outside linebacker.

He’s the 13th pickup of the 2025 recruiting class, which is currently ranked 53rd in the nation according to 247 Sports.

Newton is the youngest brother of former Illinois DL Jer’Zhan Newton, who was drafted in April to the Washington Commanders.

The former fan favorite took to X to declare that he was “Jer’Proud” of his little brother.

The Illinois Fighting Illini look to turn up the heat when they take on the Penn State Nittany Lions on Sept. 28 in Happy Valley.

They are in search of redemption after a 30-13 loss last year. They hold a 6-21 record against the Nittany Lions.

A major takeaway from last year’s game was five turnovers by the Fighting Illini. Quarterback Luke Altmyer finished with four interceptions and then running back Josh McCray fumbled the ball.

Though Penn State’s offense struggled for much of the game, they were able to take advantage of those turnovers.

The one bright spot for the Fighting Illini was their defense. They held Penn State’s rushing attack to 4.1 yards per carry. Freshman quarterback Drew Allar was 16 of 33 passing with no touchdowns.

However, five turnovers is difficult to overcome.

The key going into this year is protecting the ball. This will help tire out the Penn State defense, keep their own defense well rested, and hold onto to field position.

The latter of which can enable the Fighting Illini defense turn the tide around. They could not only hold the rush attack at bay, they could potentially force turnovers in enemy territory.

Thus creating more opportunities for the Altmyer-led offense to score within range.

The old adage of “the team with the least amount of turnovers wins” must apply.

Zachary Draves is a contributor to IlliniNow. He can be reached at zdraves1013@gmail.com and on Instagram at @zdraves0633.

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July 04, 2024 at 1:35 am CDT