Jalen Newsome Jalen Newsome 5'8" | 155 lbs | DB Nansemond River | 2029 State VA is a very fluid defensive back with tons of potential. He has incredibly active hands at the catch point, which leads to a consistent flow of pass breakups in all three levels of the field.

He also reads the field very well and seemingly runs the routes for receivers on occasion, which obviously puts him in advantageous positions from a leverage standpoint. Newsome is also very good in off-coverage, where he can use his above-average closing speed and anticipation to his advantage as well.

There’s a reason why he’s currently our No.1-ranked DB in the 2029 cycle, and he’ll definitely be getting some phone calls from college coaches in the near future.

The best corner in this class went to Nansemond River’s Jalen Newsome Jalen Newsome 5'8" | 155 lbs | DB Nansemond River | 2029 State VA who came in at 9th overall. Newsome plays bigger than his height at 5’9, when you watch his tape he stands out and never backs down. His backpedal and hip movement are part of why he is the top ranked corner, hard to imagine any top flight receiver getting separation on him.

I actually had a chance to watch Newsome at a camp in Miami a few weeks ago, but more on that another time. His freshman year film has a nice mix of him in both zone and man coverage scenarios. I like the fact that he stays deep as the deepest in zone coverage. Overall, he does a nice job in staying in phase throughout the route. That led to a couple of interceptions and pass breakups that I viewed on his highlights. I like Newsome’s ability to track the football in the air as well. I’ll have more to say once I few the camp film I got of him from that camp in Miami.

Newsome earned two MVP awards during the first day of pool play for Team Shock. He also earned an invitation to the NXGN Next Five-Star Pro Day powered by Adidas camp set to take place in 2026.

Newsome really impressed me from the jump. One of the first players to run the 40, he set the pace with a blazing 4.7. I have high schoolers in my coverage area that are balling out at his size and speed and he has a frame to suggest he’s only going to get bigger and faster. He stood out in drills and took to the teaching well. His footwork and hips were natural, something I love to see from defensive backs.