Official visits begin for Newsome

Aledo (Texas) standout wide receiver Ryan Newsome has a plan. He has his five schools and he has plans for his official visits. His first official begins on Saturday.

His top five consists of Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and UCLA, and his first official visit is to Ole Miss.

The Rebels are the newest team in his top five, but Ole Miss has been recruiting Newsome since his sophomore year and offered as a junior. The Rebels never let up even when he named a top five without them in it, and that is part of the reason why they are now among his top five.

"Just a lot of their consistency," Newsome said. "Like you said they weren't originally in there, but they were real consistent in the way they recruited me. Of course they let me do my thing in respect to my decision, but at the same time they were just like we feel you are the right person for this program. So they kept coming after me and I felt like I had to put them in there."

Linebackers coach Tom Allen is the lead recruiter for the Rebels, but the entire coaching staff has been in touch with Newsome. He hears regularly from coach Freeze, and they have all left a lasting impression.

Now he is all set for a big game weekend in Oxford.

"It's just one of those things where Ole Miss is a special place from what I've heard," Newsome said. "I can just tell by the way the coaches are and how they carry themselves and just the city of Oxford. They say it's a special place. I've gotten that from not only the players on the team and the coaches but I've gotten it from people who live down here. They tell me about the place. A couple of my coaches they told me that I was going to have a blast when I went to Oxford. I can't wait to get down there and see the Grove and see what that's all about."

In addition to his visit to Ole Miss he also has plans for four more official visits. He will visit Tennessee October 24, then he will visit UCLA October 31, and he has a trip planned to Oklahoma for November 7. He currently has a visit schedule to Texas for October 17, but coach Strong and Newsome have had discussions about moving the visit to a date in November.

He was hoping to be able to take an unofficial visit to the Oklahoma/Texas game October 13, and was also looking at visiting UCLA for the Bruins game with Oregon on the same date. However he will be taking the SAT instead.

He does not claim a leader out of his current top five, but he does not anticipate any other changes to his top five either.

"I'm pretty much there. I'm a 100-percent solid with these final five," Newsome said.

While recruiting is a hot topic with Newsome, he has also stepped up his game on the football field as a senior.

Aledo is a strong program with a strong tradition. It's a program with a new coach, fresh faces on the varsity level, and a new district. The expectations are high as usual, and Newsome and his teammates have come together. The road has not always been easy, but progress is being made at a rapid pace.

"I think it is just because we're a young team. We're a lot younger than we were last year. We had a lot of seniors. This year we have a lot of seniors too but we also have a lot of new guys. They've never been up here and they're not used to the game speed so that's a challenge getting those guys used to the game speed and the playbook and getting them ready to go," Newsome said. "But the only way you can get experience is getting out there and playing. So we're getting our guys out there and getting them experience so when it comes playoff time we'll be ready.

"But we're playing good and the new guys are stepping up. I'm being more vocal because a lot of guys look to me for a lot of guidance. Last year I was playing my role and doing my thing and then going home, but now I'm staying after with some of the guys and helping them with whatever they need whether it's play calling or signals. I'm just being more vocal. I'm not really a vocal guy, but I have to step up in that area so that's what I'm doing."

Newsome and Aledo travel to Burleson Centennial for a Friday night match-up at 7:30.