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Rivals 4-star TE Parker Newman commits to Duke

hunterby: Hunter Shelton05/29/26HunterShelton_

Sevierville (Tenn.) Sevier County four-star tight end Parker Newman announced his commitment to Duke on Friday.

He chose the Blue Devils over Tennessee, Penn State, Nebraska, Ohio State and a slew of other offers.

Newman is the No. 737 overall prospect and No. 37 TE in the 2027 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 26 player in Tennessee.

Rivals ranks the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder higher than other recruiting services. He checks in as the No. 14 TE and No. 12 recruit in the Volunteer State, per the updated Rivals300 rankings.

As a junior for Sevier County, Newman had 78 catches and turned them into more than 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s also a linebacker at the prep level and racked up 117 total tackles, eight pass breakups and four interceptions.

Newman is commit No. 8 for Manny Diaz and Co. this cycle. The Blue Devils have the No. 48 class in the nation, per the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

“Really nice get for Duke,” Rivals Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power wrote on Friday. “Parker Newman is a skilled pass-catcher with the ability to be a high volume target at TE.”

More on Duke Recruiting

The addition of Newman is a big one for the Blue Devils. He becomes the second-highest-ranked commit in the class, behind Cibolo (Texas) Steele three-star cornerback Alex Patton. The Lone Star State DB also pledged this month and ranks as the No. 65 corner in the nation.

Duke landed its QB of the cycle back in March, winning out for Rome (Ga.) three-star Aidan McPherson. He’s now the No. 60 passer in the cycle.

“My family and I prayed about this for a long time. When we got to Durham, it was a lot better than we expected,” McPherson told Devils Illustrated. “It was a program that had the exact same mindset as me. When we arrived, it immediately felt like home.”

Tampa Jesuit three-star linebacker Tripp Keller and Toms River (N.J.) North three-star LB Jack Baker also pledge in March. Last month brought a commitment from Madison (Miss.) Central three-star running back Mikel Stephen, the No. 69 RB in the cycle.

The class also checks in at No. 10 in the ACC, ahead of Stanford, Pitt, Boston College, Virginia, North Carolina and others. The up-to-date pledge list can be seen here.