Fort Pierce Central Defensive End Giorgio Newberry Commits to Florida State Seminoles

Florida State landed its first defensive end commitment of the 2011 class as Giorgio Newberry opted for the Seminoles Sunday night.  Newberry is a very talented Strongside Defensive End from Fort Pierce Central down on the Treasure Coast.  He is ranked as the 73rd overall player in the country, the 13th-ranked defensive end, and is rated as a 4* in the ESPNU 150.  Florida State is always looking to get size on the edge and Newberry gives Florida State another big, athletic edge player.   Newberry had visited Tallahassee multiple times including over the summer for the Jimbo Fisher Football Camp..  From the 2011 Recruiting Board:

"The first thing that you notice about Newberry is that he is big, really big. Going into his senior year at 6'6'' 257 shows a player who is very physically mature and close to defensive end playing weight right away. Coach Fisher has made it known that he wants big defensive ends and this is just another sign that is the case. He also shows above average upper body strength. Part of this is that at the high school level not many players have his size, but he appears to possess plus strength in the upper body. One of Newberry's biggest assets is that he plays well within his defensive scheme. In the video he is asked to do a number of things. To drop into zone, rush the qb, and string the run and he shows exceptional recognition. While this is only highlights, it is very promising that he is recognizing screens, playing different line techniques, and is capable of understanding what the goal of the play is.

He has offers from Notre Dame and Duke, so not only should qualifying not be an issue but it also reinforces the fact that his ability to recognize is real.  Newberry does have the problem that he stands up at the line and doesn't always play with good leverage, which is a very common problem at the high school level and is coachable.  Right now he is relying on his strength and natural ability, not his technique.  Players who have no business blocking Newberry are able to keep him engaged for a short time before he eschews them and pursues the play. He doesn't seem to have a phenomenal first step (or get off) to circumvent this problem so he will need to take in the coaching to fix this hole in his game. However, Newberry does do a great job of staying with the play. Great job of using his arms to separate, though he needs to do it more consistently. If he is blocked he gets his hands up, as the play moves near or away from him he finds the ball and moves off of his block to get after it. He has a good motor. Also Newberry shows above average speed for his size when tracking down the ball. It looks like he isn't exceptionally flexible and needs to work on lateral movement, however, he has shown much better lateral movement in camps this spring. Overall, Giorgio Newberry is a player who has a high ceiling due to his size/speed/strength and also the fact that he plays within his scheme and with a high motor. FSU likes him and he has already visited.

I also did an evaluation of Newberry in the Spring that I hope you will enjoy.

Despite taking a class of 9-11 linemen (positions that are not rated well by services and thus given poor ratings on average), Florida State is well on its way to having an excellent class.  

Film inside on Newberry.

DE/OT Giorgio Newberry Fort Pierce Central 2011 (via TreasureCoastFootbal)