Clarion Athletics

Mike Newton enters his first season as the Golden Eagles' offensive coordinator in 2020, after spending the 2019 season as an offensive assistant working with wide receivers.  

The receivers were one of the brightest spots on the Clarion offense in 2019, serving as a dangerous weapon against opponents from the very start of the season. Kahliq Muhammad led the team with eight touchdown receptions, the most for a Golden Eagle since the 2016 season, while freshman Quinn Zinobile exploded on the scene to lead the team in receptions (51) and yards (686). 

Before coming to Clarion, Newton spent three seasons at Seton Hill, where he most prominently served as the wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator.  The Griffins featured one of the top passing attacks in the country in that time, finishing in the top-25 in passing yards in NCAA Division II all three years and leading the country with an average of 370.2 yards per game in 2016.  In that time Griffins receivers accounted for 8,562 receiving yards and more than 60 touchdowns.  Newton coached two-time All-PSAC West First Team selection and Don Hanson All-American Ardell Brown - Seton Hill’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns – as well as all-conference selection Michael Elardo.
 
Before going to Seton Hill, Newton spent a year as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Munich Cowboys.  One of the oldest American football teams in Germany, the Cowboys finished near the top of the league statistics in a number of offensive categories, including passing yards per game and total offense.  Prior to that Newton was an offensive coach at Juniata College for four seasons from 2011-14, Newton was the offensive coordinator at Juniata in 2013 and 2014 where they set school records for offensive production in back to back seasons along with having 8 offensive all-conference selections. Newton helped lead them to a postseason berth in 2013 – their first since 1974. During his time a Juniata Newton coached Centennial Conference Player of the Year, and Third Team All-American quarterback Ward Udinski - Juniata's all-time leader in total yards, completions, passing yards, and rushing touchdowns. He spent time at Juniata as a defensive backs coach during the 2010 season.  Before that, Newton was a graduate assistant linebackers coach at the Citadel for a year.
 
Newton’s college football playing career started at Newberry College in 2004-05, He transferred to the University of South Carolina for the final two years of his eligibility lettering as a defensive back in 2007 and 2008.  He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Sport and Entertainment Management in 2009.