I visited Newport today and the biggest news out of the Knights practice was that the team will debut its new triple-option offense this fall.

The Knights have long used the wing-T offense but will switch things up to accomodate the starters they return offensively (8). Newport returns four backs who all saw several carries last year in Tyler Wright, Louie Jachim, James Dupar and Eric Rodan, but the biggest key may be their quarterback, sophomore Isaac Dotson.

Dotson, along with Rodan, saw action as a freshman last year, starting two games and impressing coaches (and teammates) enough to earn the starting nod. Dotson, 6-foot-2 and 200-pounds, quickly earned the respect of his teammates including the senior captains, perhaps the biggest compliment of all.

“Isaac is like the adult on the field,” Jachim said. “He’s barely 15 but he’s one of the most physically and mentally mature guys on the field.”

All five of the senior captains I spoke too had nothing but praise for him. Coach Mike Miller was no different, saying Dotson earned the respect of the seniors by working hard, and remaining humble.

That, Dotson told me, was important to him.

“I tried to be humble and that was the most important thing,” he said. “I just tried to be a great teammate and play hard.”

Dotson was thrown into the fire last year – his first start came in Newport’s 3-way playoff with Redmond and Eastlake. The freshman guided the Knights to a win over Redmond, then got the team the first score against Eastlake. Newport couldn’t hold on however, losing to the Wolves and ending their season.

But it’s a whole new seaspm for Newport. New really is a key word this year. The Knights will break in the new offense to go with new uniforms and their new turf field.

“Our motto this year is ‘tradition starts here’,” Dotson said. “It’s a whole new year, new hope.”

Newport will also dedicate the season to the memory of former assistant coach John Fullerton, who passed away last fall. Fullerton coached for over 40 years at the school.

Here’s a quick video interview with senior captain and offensive/defensive lineman Matt Murray, talking about the new look Knights, the upcoming season and playing for Fullerton.