How UNC’s Dazz Newsome went from defender to an offensive threat opponents must fear
The first time Hampton High School football coach Mike Smith saw Dazz Newsome play, he was about 6 years old.
Smith said he saw the ball snapped six times on offense, special teams and defense. In those six snaps, the young Dazz Newsome scored three times, Smith said.
“He was a little rascal, but he was tough,” Smith recalled.
More than a decade later, Newsome, now a sophomore wide receiver and returner for North Carolina, is starting to do the same things Smith witnessed when Newsome was a child.
After converting from defensive back to receiver, Newsome, at 5-11, 185 pounds, has steadily improved. In the last two games, Newsome has caught 10 passes for 142 yards, two touchdowns, and a 75-yard punt return for a score.
His 28 catches this season are tied for the team lead and he has become one of the Tar Heels’ most explosive weapons on offense and special teams.
“Whenever he has the ball, there’s no doubt in your mind that he’s going to make the first guy miss,” UNC offensive coordinator Chris Kapilovic said. “You expect big things from him, so it’s not surprising for us.”
Junior quarterback Nathan Elliott said he knew it was only a matter of time before Newsome would break out. Elliott said Newsome showed flashes of his potential during his freshman season.
“He’s just got like some God-given talents,” Elliott said. “Some of the things he does, you just can’t coach. I mean he’s so fast, so quick. He’s not that big, but linebackers can’t take him down.”
Newsome, who is from Hampton, Va., comes from a family of football players. His older brother Deon Newsome, was a safety for Virginia Tech from 2014 to 2017. His dad, Myron Newsome, also played for the Hokies, where he was a standout linebacker from 1995 to 1996. His second cousin Marques Hagans, who once played in the NFL, is the wide receivers coach at Virginia.
But Dazz Newsome is the one his family says has the best chance to have a career in the NFL.
‘Always had heart’
Dazz’s toughness came from hanging with his older brother. Deon Newsome was four years older than Dazz. Where Deon was, Dazz wasn’t far behind.
“I roughed him up every day,” Deon Newsome said. “He was always around.”
He recalls getting out of football practice and his little brother, who was about 4 years old at the time, putting on his football equipment.
Dazz Newsome said he would imagine himself playing in a football game.
He wasn’t quite old enough to play yet. But when he wore the oversized shoulder pads and football pants, he imagined himself in a game.
“I’d act like I was getting fake tackled,” Newsome, 19, recalled with a smile.
When he was finally old enough to play the sport, he excelled.
In the neighborhood after school, Dazz would play with the older boys Deon’s age. Dazz was about 30 pounds lighter, but it wouldn’t stop him.
Dazz Newsome said he always wanted to be better than his older brother. They’d compete at everything. If Deon scored seven touchdowns one game, Dazz wanted to score eight.
That competitiveness has continued to drive Dazz, Deon Newsome said.
Their dad, Myron Newsome, agreed.
“Dazz was pretty electric with the ball in his hands in high school,” Fedora said. “Never really saw him run routes...But he had a lot of athleticism.
“When the ball was in his hands, he could make plays. So we decided to get him over there and see if we could teach him the spot and put the ball in his hands in a variety of ways, and he’s — I think he’s excelled in it.”
A new inspiration
Making the transition from defensive back to wide receiver was tough for Newsome. He said the offense he ran in high school was basic. Learning how to run routes in college, read defenses, and learning the playbook was difficult.
“We didn’t have signals, we didn’t have none of that,” Newsome said of his high school team. “We had about four or five different routes.”
So Newsome said he “hit the playbook hard.” He would stay after practice, or in the offseason on Saturday’s, and run routes with last year’s quarterback, Brandon Harris, and Nathan Elliott.
By week four of this season, Newsome had his first career 100-yard game. He had six catches for 110 yards in a 38-35 win against Pitt on Sept. 22. But his breakout game came four weeks later against Syracuse on Oct. 20 when he scored his first career touchdown.
In that game, he had seven catches for 90 yards, a receiving touchdown and a 75-yard punt return touchdown. Last week against Virginia, he had three receptions for 56 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown catch.
As the season has progressed, Newsome has been more involved in the offense. Fedora has said that the coaching staff is looking for more ways to get him the ball.
“That route that he and (Nathan Elliott) hooked up on, on the first TD was a beautiful route,” Fedora said. “I mean he turned the guy around and Nate threw the ball on time and he was right there.”
Newsome’s goal is to make it to the NFL. And he has a new inspiration. Four months ago, his daughter, Yelaina, was born.
It has changed his perspective on life.
“You would never think you could love a person like that,” he said.
Yelaina, Newsome, said will keep him motivated to stay on top of his school work and stay eligible and get better.
“Knowing I have another mouth to feed,” Newsome said. “Knowing I have somebody to provide for. She’s going to keep me grinding right now.”
This story was originally published November 1, 2018 at 10:39 AM.