LASKER – Caleb Newsome will get his opportunity to play at the next level.

The Northeast Academy senior has accepted the opportunity to attend Chowan University as a preferred walk-on this fall where he will attempt to play nose guard for the Hawks.

Newsome said he chose Chowan because he wanted to be close to home and he likes that the Hawks are an up and coming program.

“The staff is friendly and they seem like a good group of people to work for,” Newsome said. “Chowan is an up and coming program and that’s exciting too.”

Newsome spent three years on the varsity level at Northeast Academy where he played tight end and nose guard.

“I learned to give it all you’ve got,” Newsome said of his time playing for the Eagles.

His football coach during his time at Northeast was Collin Sneed, who said he thought Newsome would be a benefit to the Chowan program.

“Caleb has been a leader since his junior year,” Sneed said. “He began taking that role during summer workouts where he showed his leadership in the weight room.

“I’m hoping he will take his belief in teamwork and work ethic with him to Chowan,” Sneed added.

Hawks’ third-year skipper Tim Place said he believes that is exactly what Newsome will bring to Chowan.

“He’s a young man who works hard on and off the field,” Place said. “He’s a young man who we can count on to do things right on and off the field. He will represent this program the way we want it represented.”

Place said he was pleased to have a local student-athlete with the type of work ethic Newsome offered to commit to the program.

“He’s a young man who is going to have to develop, but if we didn’t think he could help us, we wouldn’t have recruited him,” Place said. “We don’t believe in mass recruiting. He brings something to the table and we’ll give him every opportunity to show us what he can do.

“He will have every opportunity to grow and mature on and off the field and we’re looking forward to having the opportunity to watch him do so,” Place added.

Newsome, who will enroll at Chowan this summer to begin work on his classes and getting preparing for the fall, also considered Methodist University and Greensboro College, but said he always wanted to play in Murfreesboro.

“I’m looking forward to showing what I have and to playing against some Class A competition,” Newsome said.

He made his official visit to Chowan on February 19 and said he was sure he wanted to go there, but wanted to make absolute certain and that nothing changed after his visit.

Newsome played football and golf at Northeast and was a member of the French Club. He is also active at Conway Baptist Church.