Cam Newton decides to enter 2011 NFL Draft
Auburn University’s Cam Newton will be foregoing his senior season at the university, and will instead be entering the 2011 National Football League (NFL) Draft. He led the Auburn Tigers to their first national championship
title since 1957, and has been the centre of attention for scandals as well as his incredible performances.
Auburn released a statement late Thursday evening that the quarterback would participate in the draft after his solitary year as a starter for a major college. Newton led the Tigers to a perfect 14-0 record this season after
defeating the University of Oregon 22-19 on Monday.
Newton commented on his decision by saying, "This decision was difficult for me and my family." He also added that he sought advice from offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and Coach Gene Chizik before making
up his mind.
Newton added, "It's been a blessing for me to be a part of something so great. Any time you win games it's a big deal, but for this school to win a BCS national championship, what a way to make people happy. Auburn is a special
place that I can call home."
He was previously a backup quarterback to Tim Tebow in Florida, after taking Texas’ Blinn College to the junior college national championship. He started winning on a much larger scale after joining Auburn.
The Tigers are still waiting for defensive tackle Nick Fairley to decide whether he will be joining the NFL this year. The Lombardi Award winner is in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama, and may even be the number one overall draft
pick if he decides to enter the 2011 Draft. However, Newton is the player that Chizik says is “probably the best football player I’ve ever seen” following the championship game on Monday.
Chizik praised Cam's performances for Auburn, by saying, "We appreciate Cameron's many contributions to Auburn and the outstanding leader that he was for our football team."
He added, "He had one of the greatest individual seasons ever by an Auburn player, and was a key part of our championship run. Cam will always be a member of the Auburn family and we wish him the best in his future endeavours."
Hailing from College Park, Georgia, Newton was selected for the Walter Camp and also Associated Press National Player of the Year awards. He also won the Davey O’Brien Award for being the country’s best quarterback, as well
as the Maxwell Award for being the best overall player.
The quarterback, who could become the next Michael Vick because of his lethal tendency to run as much as he passes, is the third quarterback in NCAA history to pass and rush for at least 20 touchdowns in one season. Newton has
passed for 2,854 yards and 30 touchdowns, and rushed for 1,473 yards and 20 touchdowns.
However, his dynamic year with the Tigers did not come without some controversy. A few months ago, reports surfaced that Cecil Newton, Cam’s father, said that he wanted "more than just a scholarship" to let his son play. Since
the incident occurred at Mississippi State University, it was deemed that Cam or anyone from Auburn did not know, and Cam was still eligible to play. He went on to win the Heisman Trophy by a landslide.
Newton sustained a back injury in Monday’s game but still had 265 passing yards for two touchdowns along with 64 rushing yards.
He is so good that even Steve Spurrier, 1966 Heisman Trophy winner and South Carolina coach said, “you can’t tackle him. He’s almost a one man show.”
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