Former Independence High School principal Melody Carter's name for Triston Newson hasn't quite stood the test of time.
She calls him "little Triston from Independence."
That's because she remembers him from his elementary-school days, when he would watch his older brothers out on the gridiron with the most eager eye in attendance — willing, envisioning himself on the field.
Well, the time has come for the linebacker from "small, rural" Independence, Mississippi .
And Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton may disagree with Carter's descriptor.
Star weakside linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper picked up an injury that required him to miss spells of Mizzou football's game against the Vols on Nov. 11. Newson , next in line on the depth chart, had his number called in to fill Hopper's not-so-small shoes.
And just when the Tigers needed a turnover the most, Newson came up with the big arm, forcing the ball out of Milton's arms late in the second quarter to jumpstart the Vol-pounding. He finished the day with a team-leading eight tackles on top of the forced fumble. He backed that up with a team-leading nine tackles as the Tigers struggled but forced their way past Florida last Saturday.
Missouri , one win away from its first 10-win season since 2014, faces Arkansas on Friday in its regular-season finale with a potentially short hand at linebacker. Chad Bailey is out, while Hopper and Chuck Hicks are questionable, per coach Eli Drinkwitz.
But Newson has been filling in just fine through the health woes. The Northeast Mississippi Community College transfer hasn't skipped a beat when his number has been called.
That's not new.
"He played extremely well," Missouri linebacker Chuck Hicks said. "Kind of like I said a few weeks ago, I've (known) he could do all this. I see it every day in practice. It doesn't surprise me, I knew he could ball, I knew he could play, and I'm proud of the way he came out, just stepped up and took on that role."
Independence high school coach Rich Russo is reminded of a line from an early 2000s Reebok commercial — The Office Linebacker 'Terrible' Terry Tate — when he thinks of Newson, his former player.
"The pain train is coming," Russo quoted.
Russo first met Newson when he was a "skinny, small" seventh-grader. He's watched, and kept in contact, with his former player as he's grown into an SEC linebacker.
By the time he opened his senior season, Russo knew Newson was ready.
The coach had the play drawn up — Newson was going to rush from the nine technique. But the linebacker saw the Choctaw County running back starting to leak out of the backfield.
So Newson adjusted.
He adjusted into a peel technique and, ultimately, a pick, which he took it to the house.
"I mean, that's the natural football player," Russo said. "Very impressive."
That was the tale of Newson's tape.
Russo said he could put him anywhere, quarterback included, and he knew he had something that was going to work.
Newson settled at linebacker as his career progressed, and committed to Northeast Mississippi Community College out of high school. He stayed there three years, using his COVID year of extra eligibility to play an additional season in Booneville, Mississippi.
Before announcing he was transferring to Missouri, he was named an NJCAA Division-I first-team All-American. He was the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
"You could plug him in at Sam," Russo said, "and he's gonna be an awesome Sam. You can plug him in at Mike, and he's gonna be an awesome Mike. Plug him at Will, and he's gonna be an awesome Will. He's gonna do his job and relentlessly. He's not going to say 'Hey, look at me, look at me.' The tape's gonna say 'look at me.'"
But Russo said he wasn't ready for the Southeastern Conference when he left Coldwater. After his stint in JUCO, where they got him in the weight room and bulked him up
Now, Newson stands 6-foot-2 and 222 pounds.
Combine that with what Russo knew was already there?
"He's always had a knack for being around the ball," Russo said. ... "People in the stands say, 'Hey, that kid's lucky.' No, his pursuit may seem lucky, (but) he's doing his job pursuing the football, and he just happens to be there when somebody fumbles or tips it up. Doing his job and relentless pursuit equals being lucky."
No luck involved in where he's ended up.
Carter remembers Newson in junior high, asking her on gameday if she was coming to watch him play. Carter always did, but he liked to make sure.
That's a much easier task now.
He was the first Russo-coached Independence player to end up in the SEC. The Tigers, amid a breakout season, will have played four straight games on a national television network by the time Friday's game comes and goes. If Mizzou can't get its key linebackers back in time, Newson figures for a hefty workload in the game at 2:30 p.m. Friday in Fayetteville, Arkansas .
Not bad for the junior from Independence, Mississippi.
"They're so proud of him," Russo said. "He's the favorite son right now. It couldn't happen to a better kid. He's just a role model for all the kids in K-12. They're now saying 'Hey, just because you're from a little small area doesn't mean you can't accomplish your dreams.'"
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: From rural Mississippi to Mizzou, Triston Newson hasn't skipped a beat
