3-Star Defensive Lineman Daquan Newkirk’s Journey to Auburn Has Finally Ended

There isn’t a player I am more excited to see suit up next season than 3* DL Daquan Newkirk. Newkirk originally committed to Auburn back in June of 2015 but due to academics he was forced to take the junior college route via Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. But both sides stayed strong in their commitments. Auburn continued to recruit the talented defensive lineman and Newkirk stayed firm in his commitment. About two and half years later the big man has officially signed with the Tigers.

Newkirk has never held a very high rating in his recruitment. His composite score in 2016 was 0.8666 which made him firmly a 3* and was rated the 32nd best weakside defensive end in that class. As a JUCO product, his rating has bumped some to 0.8885 which is good for #20 overall in the JUCO rankings but he’s still listed as a 3*. The coaching staff has never cared about that rating. They see an incredibly athletic defensive lineman with unlimited upside. I mean when you see defensive tackles breaking long runs like this as a running back, it’s hard to not get excited about a kid’s potential.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to track down any of his junior college film from this past season. But according to MGCCC’s website, the longtime Auburn commit had a nice season compiling 48 tackles 9.0 TFL FF INT. He was listed at 285 lbs on their roster so he might play some on the outside but I think he might have played closer to 300 lbs this season. His future at Auburn is no doubt at defensive tackle. I would not be surprised to see him apart of the DT rotation next season especially if Dontavius Russell decides to go pro. Newkirk has already started practicing with the team this week.

Recruiting can be a crazy mess to watch unfold but sometimes there are some awesome stories. Daquan Newkirk is one of those awesome stories showing what happens when you don’t quit on your dreams and you learn from your mistakes. This young man will finally get a chance to live his dream as an Auburn Tiger and I can’t wait to see him run out of that tunnel next season.

War Eagle Daquan!