By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Associate Athletic Director for External Relations
NATCHITOCHES – Former Parkway star linebacker Barrett Newman has transferred to Northwestern State.
A Bossier City native who prepped at Parkway High School, Newman was part of the 2023 Conference USA championship team at Liberty and two bowl-bound Flames’ teams, advancing to the Fiesta Bowl and the Bahamas Bowl while being named to the C-USA Honor Roll and the Dean’s List.
Prior to his time at Liberty, Newman was a two-sport standout at Parkway, lettering four years in football and baseball.
As a senior, Newman was named all-state, all-metro and all-district on the gridiron while earning all-parish MVP honors while serving as the Panthers’ captain. He earned all-metro, all-district and all-parish honors as a junior.
Newman was a two-time all-metro, all-district and all-parish baseball player who earned all-state honors as a senior.
“Barrett is one of three young linebackers we are bringing in that I think can both build great depth for the future while having an opportunity to play significant snaps in a hurry,” NSU second-year Head Coach Blaine McCorkle said. “Like Ben, Barrett and his family are well connected here at NSU, and it’s great to have him back in his home territory where he belongs. He is coming highly recommended and from a great program at Liberty and will know how to work and understand the high standards of our program when he arrives.”
Newman was one of eight transfers announced by McCorkle Wednesday, helping reload the Demon defense.
Other transfers joining the Northwestern roster for the upcoming 2025 season are linebackers Kabriel Anderson-Dale (North Texas) and Ben Bienvenu (UL Lafayette), defensive linemen Quintin Cook (Texas Southern), Elijah Sims (Abilene Christian), defensive backs Kolbe Cage (Southern Miss) and Je’Careon Lathan (Texas State) and kicker/punter Cooper Evans (South Florida).
Five of the transfers are Louisiana products with four of them returning to their home state. Bienvenu, the lone in-state transfer, comes back to his hometown after a standout prep career at St. Mary’s.
“I am thrilled to announce the addition of these eight young men to our roster,” McCorkle said. “They are all guys who add tremendous experience where we need it most — the defensive side of the ball — as well as at kicker. It is no secret that our numbers were low on defense, and our staff went to work and found the right guys to fit our needs.
“I am also very excited that we found guys in the portal that are from our geographic region, guys who will be excited to play in Natchitoches, who are running to something and not from something, which can be an easy trap to fall into when working the portal. I think we did just that in the winter with the guys we brought in as they all have bought into our culture and molded with our team very well and very fast.”
“We don’t want to make a living in the portal, but going into year two, it is a bit of a necessity as we are still working to balance our roster by classes after losing so many players two seasons ago. This really keeps us on track and, again, I’m very proud of the work coach JWill (recruiting coordinator Justin Williamson) and the staff did to put this together.”
Anderson-Dale comes to Northwestern after a redshirt season at North Texas where he appeared in four games and made one tackle against Florida Atlantic.
A 6-foot, 220-pounder, Anderson-Dale was a three-year starter at Harker Heights High School in Harker Heights, Texas. Anderson-Dale was a member of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Whataburger Super Team and was an honorable mention all-state selection by the Texas Sports Writers Association.
As a senior at Harker Heights, Anderson-Dale was named the District 12-6A Defensive Player of the Year after recording 78 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, six pass breakups, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in eight games while helping lead the Knights to share of the district title. As a junior in 2022, Anderson-Dale was named the district Newcomer of the Year.
A 4.0 student, Anderson-Dale also lettered in basketball and track and field at Harker Heights.
“KB is a lot of fun to be around in person and even more fun to watch on film,” McCorkle said. “He is explosive and violent when he shows up. He is also an outstanding student who I think will be a big part of what we are building for a long time on and off the field.”
Bienvenu, a 6-2, 220-pounder, redshirted in his one season with the Ragin’ Cajuns.
During his prep career at St. Mary’s – where he played his home games in Turpin Stadium – Bienvenu earned two first-team all-district honors at both tight end and wide receiver while helping the Tigers reach a pair of state quarterfinals.
A versatile athlete, Bienvenu also was a two-time, first-team all-district baseball outfielder and a two-time, first-team all-district basketball power forward. He also was a two-time state track and field meet qualifier and district champion in the shot put who also qualified for the state tournament in tennis.
“It is very exciting to have Ben back home where he belongs,” McCorkle said. “In his year away from Natchitoches, he has really grown both physically and as a football player. I know his family has a ton of history at NSU and there are a lot of folks in town who will be excited to see him in purple. Like KB, he has 4 years to go and will add a ton to both the locker room and playing field.”
The trio of linebackers is joined by a pair of linemen and two safeties.
Cook comes to Northwestern after three seasons at Texas Southern where he appeared in nine games, recording six tackles and a sack for the Tigers.
A New Iberia Senior High product, Cook (6-4, 253) was a two-sport standout for the Yellowjackets, lettering in both football and basketball. Cook earned second-team all-district honors as a senior, playing both tight end and defensive end, and was named to the LHSAA Academic All-State Team.
“Quintin is a longer body that was much needed in the DL room,” McCorkle said. “We feel good about the guys we have returning but definitely needed to add some length to the room. I believe Quentin’s best football is still ahead of him and we are excited to watch him develop and grow back here in his home state.”
Sims spent two seasons at Abilene Christian before coming to Natchitoches. A 6-3, 260-pounder, he moved from tight end to defensive line ahead of the 2024 season with the Wildcats.
A two-sport standout at Thurgood Marshall High School in Missouri City, Texas, Sims hauled in seven passes for 79 yards as a tight end. He also lettered in basketball for the Buffaloes.
“Elijah is much like Quintin in that he adds length to our DL room,” McCorkle said. “He has shown the ability on film to be very disruptive and has a ton of upside. He is very mature and focused on what he needs to do to come in and help us out and be a part of what we are building.”
Cage, a 6-foot, 210-pounder, is the most experienced of the newcomers, having spent two seasons at Arizona and two at Southern Miss.
In two seasons at Southern Miss, Cage appeared in 20 games, collecting 34 tackles (1.5 for loss) and a pass breakup. During his Arizona career, Cage started six games as a redshirt freshman in 2022, recording 24 tackles, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery.
He had three five-tackle games for the Wildcats, making that number of stops against Mississippi State, North Dakota State and Oregon.
During his prep career at Holy Cross in New Orleans, Cage was a candidate for Sports Illustrated’s All-American list. He totaled 63 tackles as a senior and earned all-district honors as a junior.
“Kolbe is a very talented and experienced player coming in at a position we desperately needed to find some help,” McCorkle said. “I have no doubt he can come in and have an immediate impact. He had some high school connections on our team already, so I think it helped him feel very comfortable committing here.”
Lathan, a 6-1, 182-pound senior, spent the 2024 season at Texas State, recording two tackles in six games. He previously played at Old Dominion and Trinity Valley Community College.
In two seasons at ODU, Lathan appeared in 12 games, recording five tackles. In his lone season at Trinity Valley, Lathan recorded 40 tackles (one for loss), three pass breakups and a blocked kick.
During his prep career at Minden, Lathan was a two-time, first-team all-district selection who scored 11 touchdowns and recorded three interceptions for the Crimson Tide.
“Je’Careon, like Kolbe, brings some immediate relief in the secondary,” McCorkle said. “He and Kolbe are both older players who we expect to make immediate impacts on the back end. We feel really good about the young players we have in the room and the addition of these two allows those good young players to grow and develop and takes some immediate pressure off of them.”
Evans redshirted during in the 2024 season at South Florida after a standout career at Clarke Central High School in Athens, Georgia.
At Clarke Central, Evans was a four-year letterman who earned three all-region selections while helping the Gladiators capture a pair of regional championships and reach the state playoffs all four years.
Evans was a first-team all-region selection in his final two seasons after being named second-team all-region as a sophomore.
In addition to football, Evans (6-2, 210) lettered in golf and was part of the bass fishing team.
“We went through the spring without a kicker on the roster and that made things interesting,” McCorkle said. “Coach Wach (special teams coordinator Tyson Wachenheim) led an extremely thorough and detailed process to identify the right guy to bring in here and compete for our kicking job, and I think we found him. Cooper has a big leg and can do a lot of jobs. I like the fact that he was a football player who became a kicker and not just a lifetime specialist. He is the one player who is a bit out of our footprint but when looking for a specialist, sometimes you need to do that. We taught him how to eat crawfish with our volleyball team on his visit, and he picked it up fast so I think he will fit in just fine.”