Au'Tori Newkirk
| No. 10 – North Carolina Tar Heels | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class | Freshman |
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 2007 (age 19)[1] Norfolk, Virginia |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Maury (Norfolk, Virginia) |
| College |
|
Au'Tori Newkirk (born February 2007)[1] is an American college football quarterback for the North Carolina Tar Heels. He played high school football at Maury High School in Norfolk, Virginia, leading the Commodores to two straight state titles.
High school career
2023 season
Newkirk attended Matthew Fontaine Maury High School in Norfolk, Virginia, where he played for the Commodores in Class 5 of the Virginia High School League (VHSL). He became the starting quarterback in his junior year as the Commodores were ranked number 1 in the state and coming off a second-consecutive loss in the Class 5 state championship a season prior.[2][3] In his first three games starting, Newkirk notched top-tier victories against Wise (Maryland), Highland Springs, and Dinwiddie: Dinwiddie were the defending state champions in Class 4.[4] In his first Eastern District game, Newkirk led the Commodores to a 74–19 victory over rival Lake Taylor.[5] In the final game of the season, Newkirk threw for 231 yards in a 62–0 rout over Granby to clinch a perfect regular season at 10–0.[6] He finished the regular season atop the passing yards list for the Hampton Roads area, passing for 2,653 yards, 32 touchdowns to 4 interceptions, and completing 68% of his passes.[7] The Commodores finished the regular season ranked 82nd nationally by MaxPreps.[8]
In the postseason, the Commodores defeated Warwick enroute to their sixth straight Region B title and a spot in the Class 5 state semifinals.[9] In the semifinal, the Commodores routed Indian River, defeating the Braves 55–0 and reaching their third-consecutive state championship.[10] In the Class 5 state championship, the Commodores faced off against Stone Bridge, who Maury defeated in 2019 to clinch their most recent state championship.[11] In the state championship, Newkirk tossed for 287 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 54 yards and two more touchdowns as he led the Commodores to a 45–34 victory over Stone Bridge to win the state championship.[12] Newkirk was selected as the 2023 Abe Goldblatt All-Tidewater Player of the Year, the Class 5 Offensive Player of the Year, and the Eastern District Offensive Player of the Year.[13]
2024 season
In his senior season, he threw for 3,802 yards to 50 touchdowns, leading Maury to another 15–0 record and a back-to-back Class 5 state championship. He was selected as just the fifth player in the history of the Abe Goldblatt award to win it back-to-back, also earning himself another Class 5 Offensive Player of the Year.[14]
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Au'Tori Newkirk QB |
Norfolk, Virginia | Maury HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Jan 21, 2025 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: Scout: 22 (QB), 13 (VA) Rivals: 55 (QB), 26 (VA) | ||||||
Sources:
| ||||||
Collegiate career
Newkirk committed to play for Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels on January 21, 2025.[15]
Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 2025 | North Carolina | 2 | 0 | – | 3 | 6 | 50.0 | 23 | 3.8 | 1 | 1 | 103.9 | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 0 | |
| Career | 2 | 0 | – | 3 | 6 | 50.0 | 23 | 3.8 | 1 | 1 | 103.9 | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 0 | ||
References
- ^ a b "Weekly rankings notes: Seven new 4-stars, debut ratings on official visitors, and more". 247Sports. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
- ^ O'Brien, Marty (August 19, 2023). "Ready for 'a gauntlet'". Daily Press. p. 1. Retrieved March 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Frankenberry, Jami (August 23, 2023). "Maury starts at No. 1". Daily Press. pp. C1. Retrieved March 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ O'Brien, Marty (September 20, 2023). "Maury 3-0 thanks to new QB". Virginia Gazette. p. 1. Retrieved March 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ McGrath, Jim (September 23, 2023). "Maury makes up for slow start, thrashes Lake Taylor". Daily Press. pp. B3. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
- ^ Baumgardner, Charlie (November 5, 2023). "Maury goes to 10-0 with another shutout". Daily Press. pp. B3. Retrieved March 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Rubama, Larry (November 9, 2023). "Final Regular-season 757Teamz Football Stats". Daily Press. pp. B3. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
- ^ Rubama, Larry; O'Brien, Marty (November 24, 2023). "Four unbeatens seek three semifinal spots". Daily Press. pp. B3. Retrieved March 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Rubama, Larry (November 26, 2023). "Maury strikes early and often, rolls to sixth straight region title". Daily Press. pp. B1. Retrieved March 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Rubama, Larry (December 3, 2023). "One win from perfection". Daily Press. pp. B1. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
- ^ Rubama, Larry; O'Brien, Marty (December 9, 2023). "Titles on line for Maury, Phoebus, Lafayette". Daily Press. pp. B5. Retrieved March 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Rubama, Larry (December 11, 2023). "Mission accomplished". Daily Press. pp. B2. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
- ^ Rubama, Larry (2023-12-22). "Meet the 2023 All-Tidewater football teams". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2025-10-29 – via The Virginian-Pilot.
- ^ Rubama, Larry (January 25, 2025). "2024 Abe Goldblatt All-Tidewater Football Player of the Year: Maury QB Au'Tori Newkirk". Retrieved September 1, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "'25 QB Newkirk commits to Belichick's Tar Heels". ESPN.com. 2025-01-21. Retrieved 2025-09-01.