Jer'Zhan Newton: DL · Illinois · #4.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Jer'Zhan Newton
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Played for two head coaches in four seasons at Illinois. A game that shows it: 7 tackles and 0.5 sacks against Nebraska — Week 6, 2023.
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
52 tackles. 2 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 8.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
LancasterOnline Oct 25
Yahoo Sports Oct 25Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log · Week-by-week
2023 season · 12 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 30-28vs Toledo | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 23-34@ Kansas | 6 | 6 | 2.0 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 sacks |
| Wk 3 | L 13-30vs No. 7 Penn State | 6 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 4 | W 23-17vs Florida Atlantic | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 19-44@ Purdue | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 7-20vs Nebraska | 7 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 7 | W 27-24@ Maryland | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 21-25vs Wisconsin | 6 | 4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | W 27-26@ Minnesota | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | W 48-45vs Indiana | 4 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | L 13-15@ Iowa | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | L 43-45vs Northwestern | 5 | 3 | 2.0 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 sacks |
| Total | 52 | 26 | 8.5 | 7.5 | — | 2 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
TFL rate
16%8 TFLSack rate
14%8 sacksHurry rate
17%9 hurries52 tackles · 8.5 for loss · 7.5 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2023 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 4.7 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.3 |
| Road5g | 3.8 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 4.1 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 4.6 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bret Bielema
Pass share
51.4%
413 pass / 390 run
Plays / game
66.9
12 games
Team sack rate
8.8%
457 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2023
52 tackles in 12 games, more tackles a game than most FBS defensive linemen who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #36 at the position.
How it ended
Four seasons at Illinois, 18 sacks — drafted at #36 overall by the Washington Commanders.
A stat line in 43 games over four seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2020–2023
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Lovie Smith → Bret Bielema. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Next stop · NFL
Washington CommandersEntering 3rd NFL season
Washington CommandersEntering 3rd NFL season
