NFL Prospects: QB Rankings
By Kyle Hughes
(Blaine Gabbert, Photo via ESPN)
Name College Class Ht./ Lbs. Proj. Round
| 1. Blaine Gabbert | Missouri | Junior 6-5/235 | Top 10 |
| 2. Cam Newton | Auburn | Junior 6-6/250 | Early-Mid 1st |
| 3. Ryan Mallet | Arkansas | Junior 6-6/238 | Mid 1st |
| 4. Jake Locker | Washington | Senior 6-3/230 | Late 1st – 2nd |
| 5. Colin Kaepernick | Nevada | Senior 6-6/225 | 3rd round |
| 6. Christian Ponder | Florida State | Senior 6-3/227 | 4th round |
| 7. Pat Devlin | Delaware | Senior 6-4/222 | 4th-5th round |
| 8. Andy Dalton | TCU | Senior 6-2/220 | 5th-6th round |
| 9. Ricky Stanzi | Iowa | Senior 6-4/230 | 5th-7th round |
| 10. Greg McElroy | Alabama | Senior 6-2/225 | 7th round |
12/11/2010 College Football Headlines
By: Mike Rabon
Brandon Wegher ( Photo by Robert Duyos/Sun Sentinel/MCT via thegazette.com)
1.) Cam Newton left off the FWAA All-American list.
2.) Navy defeats Army for the 9th straight time by a score of 31-17.
3.) Iowa RB Brandon Wegher granted a full release from his scholarship obligations.
4.) San Diego State President Stephen Weber believes Hoke would leave for the Michigan job.
5.) Marc Trestman is now a candidate for the Miami Hurricanes Head Coach position.
Check out the blog tonight for a report on the Heisman Trophy presentation and winner.
12/10/2010 College Football Headlines
By: Mike Rabon
Navy QB Ricky Dobbs (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon SMI via sportsillustrated.com)
1.) Nebraska Head Coach Bo Pelini says Miami job interview reports are false.
2.) Kentucky QB Mike Hartline pleads ‘not guilty’ to alcohol charges.
3.) Hawaii to join the MWC in 2012 for football only.
4.) Cam Newton wins the Maxwell Award and Davey O’ Brien Award.
5.) Dan Mullen has no plans to leave Mississippi State.
6.) Navy Seniors attempt unprecedented 4th straight season without allowing a touchdown against Army.
12/9/2010 College Football Headlines
By: Mike Rabon
Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images North America via zimbio.com)
1.) Cam Newton talks with Chris Fowler of ESPN about the investigation.
2.) Nebraska AD Tom Osborne denies reports that he permitted Pelini to interview for the Miami job.
3.) UNC Head Coach Butch Davis pushed counseling for players involved in NCAA investigations.
4.) Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor says he would \”dominate the nation\” in other offenses.
5.) Utah DE Christian Cox promises victory over Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl.
12/8/2010 College Football Headlines
By: Mike Rabon
Urban Meyer (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images via sportsillustrated.com)
1.)Urban Meyer will resign as Head Coach of Florida after the Outback Bowl.
3.) Iowa WR Derrell Johnson-Koulianos charged with keeping a drug house.
4.) Uconn OT Greg McKee is facing child pornography charges.
5.)Virginia Tech Linebacker Lyndell Gibson will miss the Orange Bowl due to shoulder surgery.
6.)Mississippi Secretary of State is investingating Cam Newton case under auspices of the Agent Act.
Heisman Finalists Announced
By: Mike Rabon
Four deserving Heisman finalists have been invited to New York. Auburn QB Cam Newton, Oregon RB LaMichael James, Stanford QB Andrew Luck and Boise State QB Kellen Moore.
For college football junkies and NFL draft lovers, we are fortunate that Cam Newton and LaMichael James will square off against each other on January 10th, 2011 in the BCS National Championship. Andrew Luck will play in the Discover Orange Bowl against ACC Champion Virginia Tech. Kellen Moore will challenge fleeting Utah in the MAACO Bowl in Las Vegas.
Cam Newton accounts for 48 Auburn touchdowns this season-28 passing and 20 rushing. His team is 13-0 and arguably boasts the most quality wins of any team in the BCS in the toughest conference, the SEC. Hats-off to James, Luck and Moore for tremendous seasons but there is little doubt that Cam Newton will hoist the Heisman Trophy in New York.
Cam Newton (Photo via block-c.com)
Patience Needed in Cam Newton Case
By Kif Richmann
I don’t know Cam Newton.
I’ve never shaken hands and looked Cam Newton in the eye.
I’ve never sat at a bar, shared a few cold ones and chatted about girls with Cam Newton.
For all I know, I’ve never even been in the same state at the same time as Cam Newton.
Because of all that I don’t know, I can wait before making an assumption about the man.
Auburn quarterback Cam Newton (photo via Getty Images)
Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz discusses Cam Newton case
With all the allegations flying around right now, it is easy to assume Newton is guilty of something. But until I know the facts surrounding the latest pay-for-play scandal, I will hold off judgment. I don’t know the facts, and I don’t know the man.
As the old saying goes, where there’s smoke there’s fire, and right now Cam Newton has more smoke floating around him than a pile of burning leaves. But there is a more important saying out there: innocent until proven guilty. In this day of hyper-fast information, people have also turned to hyper-fast conclusions.
Maybe Cam Newton is guilty.
Maybe Cecil Newton, Cam’s father, really did demand thousands of dollars from Mississippi State for the services of his son.
But what if it’s not true? Then we have run the risk of completely assassinating the respectability and integrity of a tremendously talented young man without anything to back it up.
Back when Newton was arrested on serious charges of burglary, larceny and obstruction of justice, we knew what happened. To Newton’s credit, he manned up and admitted to wrong doing. After enrolling at Auburn, he went on talk show after talk show and confessed to making a dumb mistake. He bought a stolen computer and should have known better. He reacted in an extremely foolish manner when the police arrived at his apartment, but he has since paid his dues. And he has since owned up to issue.
I’m waiting for a recording of the alleged conversations in which Cecil Newton demanded money for Cam’s talents. I’m waiting for a confession by either Cam or Cecil, which is not likely to come anytime soon.
Although the burden of proof falls on those lobbing these allegations, Cam Newton has not helped his cause either. During a recent press conference, Newton chose to neither confirm nor deny the pay-for-play allegations. While it’s his right to act as he sees best, I think someone who knows they are innocent would quickly, fervently and repeatedly deny the allegations.
But maybe that’s just it. Maybe Cam Newton doesn’t know.
What if the demands for cash were made without any knowledge by Cam Newton himself?
Until we know for sure, stick with what we do know: Cam Newton is a great football player who has made mistakes in the past and owned up to those mistakes. He has worked his way back into a major NCAA program and lifted that team into the national spotlight. His play on the field has made him a front runner for the Heisman.
At this point, that’s all we know.
Can Cam Newton Be Trusted?
By Kyle Hughes
Cameron Newton has been the brightest star in college football this season. He is second in the nation in passer rating, has over 3000 total yards, has 35 total touchdowns, and has led Auburn to an undefeated record so far this season. He is the favorite to win the Heisman, but accusations about his past have been rampant this past week. Is it possible that the biggest superstar in college football is ineligible? After an investigation by the NCAA could we see Newton giving back a Heisman and Auburn handing back a BCS Championship trophy? I’m all for innocent until proven guilty, but things look bad for Newton.
- Cam Newton leads Auburn to a 24-17 win over LSU (Getty Images)
The Computer Scandal
In 2008, while he was at Florida, Cam Newton was charged with felony counts of burglary, larceny, and obstructing justice. Newton was suspected of stealing a computer from another student and when the police went to question him he threw the computer out of his dorm window. However, Newton was never convicted of a crime and some reports said that he just purchased the computer from someone for a good price. Newton later called it the stupidest decision he’d ever made.
The Recruiting Scandal
Last week ESPN reported that a representative of Cam Newton asked for $180,000 in compensation from Mississippi State if they wanted Newton to commit to them. The representative was Kenny Rogers, a “matchmaker” for athletes and college programs. The school then reported the incident to the SEC. The NCAA had investigated the claim and was waiting for more substantial evidence. Cam Newton’s father, Cecil Newton, denied any wrongdoing by him or his son. Cecil Newton turned over phone records, bank records, and emails to the NCAA voluntarily. Coach Gene Chizik responded by emphasizing that Newton was eligible to play at Auburn. Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops said he didn’t experience anything irregular in Oklahoma’s attempted recruitment of Cam Newton.
The Cheating Scandal
According to FoxSports.com, an anonymous source told them that Newton had three different instances of academic cheating while at the University of Florida. Newton transferred to Blinn College instead of appearing in front of Florida’s Student Conduct Committee. Newton had previously told Sports Illustrated that he transferred because of Tim Tebow’s announcement to return for his senior season. Gene Chizik has declared that these revelations are “garbage” and Cecil Newton called the report a character assassination attempt on his son.
The NCAA is sure to now to bring a lot of heat in their investigation of Newton and already Heisman voters are suggesting they will second guess a vote for Cam Newton. Should Newton be given the benefit of the doubt? Normally I would say yes, but in his case I say no. This all comes in the same year that Reggie Bush handed back a Heisman and USC was put on probation for illegal recruitment. In an era when athletes are willing to lie about cheating even in the face of possible jail time, it is hard for me to believe that Newton is an innocent victim. Lets not forget how unsavory a character Gene Chizik was during his time at Iowa State and how he abandoned the Cyclones the first chance he got. Lets also not forget Auburn has been involved in this type of scandal before. In 1993 the program was put on two-year probation by the NCAA for a pay-for-play scandal brought to light by former player Eric Ramsey. You can stand up for Newton if you want, you can give him the Heisman, and you can marvel at his outstanding statistics. Just don’t be shocked when they’re wiped from the record books in a few years.
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