Keyshawn James-Newby

Early life

James-Newby was born in Pocatello, Idaho, and initially attended Pocatello High School as a freshman before he moved to Helena, Montana, where he became a standout football player at Helena High School. He committed to play college football at Montana Tech, an NAIA school.

College career

James-Newby began his college career at Montana Tech and initially focused more on his engineering studies than football. In two seasons, he recorded 92 total tackles and 13 sacks and received first-team All-Frontier Conference recognition after his sophomore season. Following the season, he transferred to Idaho to play for coach Jason Eck, having to rely on social media because he did not have access to the transfer portal due to being a NAIA athlete. In his first season for the Vandals in 2023, James-Newby had five sacks, 38 tackles, and two pass deflections in 11 games. In 2024, James-Newby tallied 64 tackles including 14.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and two forced fumbles in 13 games. He was named an honorable mention Associated Press FCS All-American and first-team All-Big Sky Conference honoree. James-Newby transferred to New Mexico for his final season. He had nine sacks and 15 tackles for loss on a 9–4 team, earning first-team All-Mountain West honors.