High School

Former Tampa Bay Area Standout To Make NFL Playoff Debut Against Hometown Buccaneers

Jer'Zhan Newton played for Clearwater Central Catholic and will face the hometown Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night in a NFC Wild-Card tilt as a member of the Washington Commanders

Andy Villamarzo

Feb 28, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois defensive lineman Johnny Newton (DL20) speaks at a press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Feb 28, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois defensive lineman Johnny Newton (DL20) speaks at a press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football in an NFC Wild-Card matchup, there will be several former Florida high school football standouts making a return to the Sunshine State.

One of them is Commanders' rookie defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton, who played his high school ball at Clearwater Central Catholic, which is less than an hour away from the Buccaneers' home of Raymond James Stadium. Newton, a rookie, will make his NFL Playoff debut against his hometown team.

During his playing days with the Marauders, Newton was one of the Tampa Bay area's most feared defensive lineman. Newton throughout his high school career with CCC recorded over 200 tackles and 24 sacks before playing at Illinois.

There, Newton played as a true freshman and made an impact immediately for the Fighting Illini. During his college career, Newton totaled 187 tackles, 27.5 went for a loss and 18 sacks.

In the 2024 NFL Draft, Newton was the No. 36 overall selection by Washington out of the second round. Currently, Newton has recorded 44 total tackles and two sacks for the Commanders.

Newton didn't play in the season opener against the Buccaneers due to an injury, so this would be his first action against Tampa Bay between the two meetings.

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @highschoolonsi

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Andy Villamarzo
ANDY VILLAMARZO

Andy Villamarzo has been a sports writer in the Tampa Bay (FL) Area since 2007, writing for publications such as Tampa Bay Times, The Tampa Tribune, The Suncoast News, Tampa Beacon, Hernando Sun to name a few. Andy resides out of the Tarpon Springs, FL area and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in the summer of 2022 covering the Tampa Bay Area. He has quickly become one of Florida's foremost authorities on high school sports, appearing frequently on podcasts, radio programs and digital broadcasts as an expert on team rankings, recruiting and much more.

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