SEC Surprises To Get Ready for Chapter One

Larry Burton (Panama City Beach, Fl) Only two schools right now know about Cameron Newton: Florida and Auburn. For the rest of the sports world and the SEC, he is a name you're unfamiliar with, but only for now. You will be hearing a lot about him soon.

Part of Auburn's top signing class was signing this former five-star high school recruit that started his collegiate journey in Gainesville with the University of Florida. When Urban Meyer initially handpicked and signed him, it was with the intention that the 6'6" quarterback would be the replacement for Tim Tebow.

He certainly had that ability in both running and passing, but he also had some demons and problems he failed to adequately deal with and that caused issues that led him to leave Florida under a cloud of bad publicity.

The biggest issue was his arrest for burglary, theft, and obstruction. Though the charges were later plea bargained and dropped after he completed a pretrial program for first-time offenders, he was still branded a problem.

With all this talent and nowhere to display it, he found salvation in a little known junior college in Texas that decided to give him a second chance. It was Blinn College, a dot on the map halfway between Austin and Houston. It is, for all practical purposes, the middle of nowhere. But it was the best place he could have gone.

It gave him a year to be out of the national focus and to renew himself to be both the player and the man that so many thought he could be.

He took advantage of the situation and has apparently reclaimed both. With just a hiccup or two of problems there that included him sitting out the first quarter of one game, the faith and discipline of his young head coach, Brad Franchione, son of Dennis Franchione, seemed to get his attention and focus back on the things that were important.

He came back to reclaim his job as quarterback in that game and brought his team back to a thrilling 55-42 win where he threw for 302 yards in just two and a half quarters.

It seems that the coach's faith in Newton was justified as he didn't have another disciplinary problem out of him and he flourished to be a top flight quarterback.

The Blinn Buccaneers went on to win the Junior College National Championship and with the ring he got as a backup for the 2007 national champion Florida Gators, he has two national championship rings to wear.

Suddenly, with his problems behind him and his ability on full display, including a 65 percent completion rate, 2,833 yards through the air with 22 TD passes, and 655 yards rushing that resulted in 16 more TDs, he was a commodity that many major colleges were once again taking a look at. He is a true dual-threat quarterback.

One was his old friend and Florida mentor who had moved on to become the head coach at Mississippi State, Dan Mullen, who both knew the man and the ability. There was a mutual connection there and many felt Mullen had the inside track to land Newton. In initial comments, Newton even implied as much.

Then Auburn came calling and pitching hard. Auburn offensive coordinator Guz Malzahn convinced Newton that his skills were perfectly suited to his offense and that only Auburn had the tools to surround him with the necessary players that would make his athleticism shine.

Malzahn convinced him that if he signed with Mullen and State, that he would be "beaten like a rented mule" because he would have to do it all alone.

In the end, the sales pitch worked and Newton signed with Auburn. He enrolled early and is currently undergoing winter training and with him being there for spring drills, Cameron could easily be in the mix for the starting position for the Tigers this fall.

“I feel that I can come in and be a main contributor for the Tigers on their road next season to the SEC title,” Newton said.

While that may be a lofty goal for both Auburn and Newton to reach, he will make headlines and raise eyebrows this next season.

So when you are asked by your friends "Where did this guy come from?", you can truthfully say, "From the middle of nowhere," and be correct, because that's just where Blinn College is.

This is the first in a series of articles that will prepare you for the new names, faces, and players that will become news in the SEC over the coming season. You can find others as they are written at http://bleacherreport.com/users/56155-larry-burton