Newberry (Fla.) High defensive lineman Mykah Newton tells On3 he has flipped his commitment from NC State to Miami.

The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Newton becomes commit No. 21 for head coach Mario Cristobal and his staff. 

“The legacy is amazing there man,” Newton stated. “Being coached by (NFL Hall of Famer and Hurricanes assistant) Jason Taylor is one in a million. I want to be coached by the best and I feel I can pursue my dreams going to Miami.”

Newton is one of the Sunshine State’s most disruptive defensive linemen. Over the last two seasons he racked up 120 tackles including 41 stops for loss and 27 sacks. A high-motored, quick and physical football player, he forced five fumbles over that span.

“Honestly I’d say what made Miami right for me is they checked all the boxes for me and my mom,” Newton said. “Obviously it’s closer to home and I get to see my family sometimes and they get to see me.”

Trench warfare always on Cristobal’s mind and Newton was a priority

Cristobal is looking to sign another Top10 recruiting class and the point of attack is always a priority. Newton has a tremendous base, plays with power and still has a lot of physical upside. He’ll bring a pass rush presence wherever he lines up.

“I most definitely believe in Coach Cristobal,” Newton said. “The whole coaching staff is amazing. They all have the same energy. Coach Cristobal I literally feel the aura. An amazing guy overall. He knows what he wants and knows the goal.

“We are most definitely rising.”

Other offers for Newton included Michigan State, Georgia Tech and UCF. Miami offered in July.

“The love that they showed,” Newton said. “That shocked me. They did everything. They check the boxes academic wise.

Newton will major in kinesiology.

“They have the major I really want to do. They showed me a whole thing where I can see what my life is going to be with my major.”

DALLAS – Dallas and Garland ISDs are two of only three school districts in Texas to voluntarily release their accountability letter grades.

The state was blocked from releasing the grades this week under a lawsuit filed by five other districts.

Those districts claim parts of the new grading system misrepresent student achievement. Dallas and Garland said they are voluntarily releasing their ratings anyway, in the interest of transparency and accountability.

Texas lawmakers began requiring the Texas Education Agency to calculate an A to F grade for campuses and school districts in 2017, but the system has been on hold since the 2018-2019 school year.

While Dallas ISD is expected to receive a C rating, its overall score went up from a 76 to a 79 despite the more rigorous standards imposed.

The district also reported the number of high schools with A and B grades almost double compared to 2023.

Garland ISD would receive a B in the grades, with the number of A-rated high schools expected to triple.

The nonprofit The Commit Partnership is tasked with handing out the grades.

Kate Greer, the policy director for the nonprofit, praised the district’s decisions to be transparent.

“Dallas and Garland are two leaders. It is important to understand the superintendents acknowledged there is room for growth. They are excited about opportunities provided We are all hoping we can use those bright spots to come to the legislature and say this is where we can go, but we will need investment to make that happen,” she said.

Greer says the accountability ratings show which schools need more resources invested.

Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde said in a statement that their task of creating student success is made more difficult without an increase to the basic allotment, or funding for evidence-based practices.

The only other Texas district to voluntarily release its projected accountability grades is Houston ISD which was taken over by the state, as a result of the accountability system.

There will be a hearing on August 26 in Travis County to determine the next step in the lawsuit by the five school districts.

More than three months after a U.S. Air Force airman from metro Atlanta was gunned down by a Florida sheriff’s deputy, his family and their lawyer are demanding that prosecutors decide whether to bring charges against the former lawman.

At a Friday news conference, civil rights attorney Ben Crump questioned why the investigation has taken so long, noting that the shooting of Senior Airman Roger Fortson was captured on the deputy’s body camera video.

He said that “for Black people in America, when they delay, delay, delay, that tells us they’re trying to sweep it under the rug.”

“It’s on video y’all,” Crump added. “It ain’t no mystery what happened.”

Fortson, 23, was killed on May 3 by Okaloosa County sheriff’s Deputy Eddie Duran in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The airman answered the door to his apartment while holding a handgun pointed toward the floor and was killed within seconds, body camera video showed.

Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden fired Duran, saying his life was never in danger and that he should not have fired his weapon.

A sheriff’s office internal affairs investigation found that Fortson “did not make any hostile, attacking movements, and therefore, the former deputy’s use of deadly force was not objectively reasonable.”

On Friday, Crump said his team has been told that authorities will make a decision on charges on Aug. 23.

“Mark your calendars, brothers and sisters, mark your calendars,” Crump told supporters gathered for the news conference in a church sanctuary in Fort Walton Beach.

The Aug. 23 date came from a top official in the state attorney’s office, Crump said. Neither State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden, who oversees the area, or her staff responded to requests for comment on Friday.

Fortson was stationed at the Air Force’s Hurlburt Field in the Florida Panhandle. At his funeral outside Atlanta in May, hundreds of Air Force members in dress blues filed past his coffin, draped with an American flag.

Now, Crump and the family want the former deputy to face charges.

“To the state’s attorney, you got everything you need,” Crump said. “The only question is, are you going to do it?”