Staff

Jason Newsom played and grew up in Lubbock, Texas. He played college football at Eastern New Mexico University. Coach Newsom's coaching career began as a strength coach at Morehead State University in Morehead, KY. At MSU, he guided athletes from multiple sports in their athletic development. During his time, 38 of his players were given All-Conference honors, won three conference championships, and a national championship in their respective sports. 

Coach Newsom assisted with the football sports performance department at Stanford University. That season Stanford participated in the Fiesta Bowl. Fifteen players from his time at Stanford were eventually drafted into the NFL. Jason also interned with the Baylor University football performance staff where  he helped the Baylor Bears develop into a team that would go on to win the Holiday Bowl. Eleven players from his time at Baylor were eventually drafted into the NFL.  

Coach Newsom then moved onto the field to coordinate the special teams and be the Director of Strength and Conditioning at East Coast Prep. He would eventually be promoted to Athletic Director of the entire program. In five seasons at ECP, Jason oversaw the program's development into one of the country's top Post Grad programs.  While there, the ECP team never posted a losing record and more importantly sent more than 150 of his student-athletes to college on scholarship. Four of his players from ECP have played professional football. 

Coach Newsom is thrilled to build Diamond Football Academy into the premiere Post Grad program in the nation.  

Email:  jnewsom@diamondfootballacademy.org

We are proud to have Logan Plantz as a part of Diamond Football Academy. His introduction is best told with his story rather than a simple bio like most coaches. Please read Logan's story below:

You have probably heard of a story about a kid from the south suburbs of Chicago who had dreams of playing football for the Fighting Irish. He was undersized. He did not have the grades. After multiple attempts, he finally got accepted. He walked on to the football team and took a beating as a scout team player for years until he earned the opportunity to run through the tunnel and record an official snap with the Irish.

I lived that story. That is my story.

I personally received multiple letters of rejection from Notre Dame’s admissions office. I refused to take their “No” for an answer, so I decided to start a journey and live out my own version of the famous “Rudy” story. I used a Post Grad year to help bridge the gap between high school and Notre Dame. My time at Notre Dame exceeded my wildest dreams and expectations as I was able to develop myself every day. Both in the classroom and on the gridiron, I developed the traits of accountability, humility, and coachability. As a result, I was not only accepted into Notre Dame, but also awarded an Athletic Scholarship because of my commitment to excellence, persistence, and personality.

During my time at Notre Dame, I was able to obtain both my bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in Business Management. I completed my undergraduate studies early and decided to accept the challenge of grad school while continuing to compete at the highest level of collegiate football. Long before my time as a student-athlete for the Fighting Irish, I learned to take on challenges with a “head-first” approach. My pursuit to live out my lifelong dream to play football as well as graduate from Notre Dame after many obstacles shows the level of determination and perseverance I embody. This will be the same level of determination that I will bring to our student-athletes to help them achieve their dreams like I did. 

We are excited to welcome Roy Rodriguez to the DFA family. Coach Rodriguez brings with him an incredible coaching resume. After playing his college football at Southern Connecticut State University, he has 20 years of coaching experience. His stops included Fordham University, Iona, UMHB, and Texas Tech University, among others. He helped Texas Tech qualify for two bowl games: Holiday Bowl ‘04 and the Cotton Bowl ‘05. Roy has also coached in the professional ranks in the Arena Football League. Roy has proudly seen many of his players go on to play at the NFL level.

 He resides in Lubbock, Texas with his wife Chana Rodriguez.  They have six kids: Darcee, Kennedy, Kristi, Dancee, Chase, Dayn; and, two grandkids: Sydnee and Rielee. We look forward to Coach Rodriguez bringing his years of expertise to help our students reach their goals.