College Football 2011: 10 Athletic QB's Who Could Continue Cam Newton's Success
Cam Newton’s performance in 2010 was nothing short of legendary.
Despite the ongoing controversy regarding his father, NCAA sanctions and eligibility issues Newton put on a display of sheer athleticism last season that is impossible not to be impressed with.
After a troubled interlude as a Florida Gator and a season under center at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas (where he was a part of the team that won the 2009 NJCAA National Championship) Newton became one of the most sought after recruits of 2010.
Even though he was Rivals.com highest rated quarterback in 2010 (overall, not just among junior college transfers) Newton was still an unknown coming into Auburn’s 2010 season.
Looking back at rankings of the top quarterbacks coming into 2010 it’s difficult to find Cam Newton’s name among the lists including the obvious (i.e. Gabbert, Moore, Jones, Mallett, Pryor, Locker, etc).
But it didn’t take Newton long to begin to prove he was special; indeed, after the first game versus Arkansas State (when he threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more) Cam Newton was suddenly the SEC Offensive Player of the week.
Speed forward and we know that Newton went on to rack up 2,854 yards and 30 touchdowns passing and also accumulated 1,473 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground.
All this on the way to becoming the landslide Heisman Trophy winner and leading his team to a BCS title. Let’s not forget Auburn had to play out of the ridiculous SEC West to get there.
Newton is only the third player in college football history to throw for 20 touchdowns and run for 20 touchdowns during the same season.
So, in 2011 who could possibly continue the success that Cam Newton enjoyed in 2010?
Which “dual threat” quarterback could earn a passer rating of 182.05 (second only to Kellen Moore) and also be the rushing leader on his team, all while leading his school, and himself to glory?
The following ten candidates might not be as scandalous but each might have a shot at a Newton-esque 2011 season.
Denard Robinson, Michigan
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Denard Robinson is an obvious choice and of the starters from last season is the most statistically like Cam Newton.
Robinson threw for 2,570 yards and 18 touchdowns netting a passer rating of 149.58 (No. 20 overall nationally).
What is exceptional about Robinson is that he also ran for 1,702 yards (229 more than Newton in one less game) and scored 14 rushing touchdowns.
Of the guys on this list, Robinson is one of only two who, like Newton, led their team in both passing and rushing yards.
How new Michigan head coach Brady Hoke and OC Al Borges will effect Michigan’s offensive scheme and Robinson’s performance is an unknown.
The Wolverine defense will also have to improve for Denard Robinson to be a serious Heisman contender, as we all know that the Heisman winner will more than like play on one of the top 10 teams in the country (which is obviously a huge advantage Newton had over other athletic quarterbacks).
Denard Robinson will be a junior in 2011 and he can put up some serious stats if he stays healthy.
Chandler Harnish, Northern Illinois
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Chandler Harnish and the Northern Illinois Huskies may have flown under the radar in 2010.
NIU finished the season 11-3, were runners up in the MAC and thumped Fresno State 40-17 in the Humanitarian Bowl.
Along the way QB Chandler Harnish racked up 2,530 passing yards, threw 21 touchdown passes and earned a quarterback rating of 157.8 (No. 11 ranked nationally).
He was also the Huskies number two rusher with 836 yards and seven touchdowns.
Harnish, from Norwell Indiana, was only a 2-star recruit back in 2007 and has started for Northern Illinois since 2008.
Though his stats have improved each season, Harnish’s senior year in 2011 will be played without head coach Jerry Kill who has left to lead Minnesota in 2011.
Regardless of this and playing at a school that more than likely won’t be in the BCS, Chandler Harnish (along with eight other returning starters from a 2010 offense that ranked No. 12 in scoring) will be primed to put up some serious stats in 2011.
Taylor Martinez, Nebraska
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Here is another guy, who, like Cam Newton, burst onto the 2010 college football scene. Though, as Newton continued to improve and mature as the season went on, Martinez seemed to struggle.
Martinez’s stats are therefore understandably less awe inspiring than Newton’s: 1631 yards and only 10 touchdown’s through the air (138.8 passer rating, No. 39 nationally) and 965 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns (making him the Huskers No. 2 rusher).
But, putting things in perspective, Martinez was only a freshman last year and will only mature (as a player and an individual) as time goes on.
The other difference between Martinez and the other guys who are on this list (with the exception of perhaps Relf and Pryor) is that Nebraska is a legitimate contender in 2011 which provides Mr. Martinez with two key advantages.
First, the Cornhuskers will provide him with a team chock full of talent to make him play better (after all, football is a team sport) and two, if you have serious Heisman dreams, you have to play for a top team that garners plenty of exposure and wins, a lot.
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Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State
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Who would have ever thought after Ohio State wrapped up its 2010 regular season with a win over Michigan and initially accepted its Sugar Bowl bid that 2011 would look so alarmingly dismal for the Buckeyes?
Yes, as of early December of last year Columbus was abuzz with Heisman hopes and national title dreams for their 2011 season.
Speed forward to present time and we know that Pryor and friends won’t even play the first five games in 2011, and unbelievably, the Jim Tressel era at Ohio State may be over before the season ever begins.
Regardless, Terrelle Pryor is still an athlete that can do it all, and, regardless of how many games he actually plays, if he continues to improve as a passer (as Newton did during 2010) he could very well have similar success to that of Newton.
Pryor threw for 2,772 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2010 (157.88 rating, No. 11 nationally) and ran for 754 yards and four touchdowns.
Who knows how Tresselgate, Tattoo-gate and e-mail-gate will pan out, but, Columbus Ohio is just the sort of place where, by next December, much can be forgiven and then celebrated (with a striped dancing nut).
Nathan Scheelhasse, Illinois
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Nathan Scheelhasse was the No. 7 ranked dual threat quarterback in the class of 2009.
After redshirting in 2009, Scheelhasse, in his first year as a starter, amassed 1,825 yards passing, threw eight touchdown passes and achieved a passer rating of 131.97 (No. 57 overall).
He was also Illinois’ No. 2 rusher with 859 yards and five touchdowns.
Scheelhasse has all the ability to continue to improve, mature and play better in 2011. Working against Schellhasse and the Fighting Illini is the fact that they’ve been placed in the Big Ten’s new “Leaders” division with perennial powerhouses Wisconsin, Ohio State and Penn State.
Regardless, don’t be surprised if Scheelhasse makes a big splash in 2011.
Chris Relf, Mississippi State
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In 2010 Chris Relf threw for 1,789 yards, 13 touchdowns and earned a quarterback rating of 140.99 (No. 34 nationally).
He was also the Bulldogs No. 2 ranked rusher gaining 713 yards for five touchdowns.
Chris Relf was only a 2-star recruit in 2007 and not ranked among the nation’s top dual threat quarterbacks.
Relf’s senior year is compelling, if the Bulldogs continue to improve and can somehow shock the world and make a successful run through the perilous SEC West then anything can happen.
Robert Griffin III, Baylor
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After suffering a season ending injury in 2009, Griffin came back in 2010 with a vengeance, ultimately surpassing the huge numbers he posted in 2008.
In 2010 Griffin threw for 3,501 yards, 22 touchdowns (144.2 quarterback rating, No. 29 nationally) and ran for 635 yards and eight touchdowns (No. 2 in rushing yards for the Bears).
Though opposing defenses claimed Griffin had lost a step from his injury, the statistical evidence points a different direction.
2011 will mark Griffin’s final season in Waco, and, after leading the Bears to their first bowl appearance in 16 years he claims Baylor is ready to push upwards even further in 2010.
The main difference between Griffin and Newton is that, though Griffin is athletic, Baylor’s offense is much more likely to throw the ball than run it (i.e. Griffin threw 454 balls in 2010 while Newton threw only 280).
GJ Kinne, Tulsa
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GJ Kinne, from Gilmer Texas, was the No. 15 ranked dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2007.
Kinne initially went to Texas and redshirted there in 2007, he transferred to Tulsa in 2008 and started in 2009 after sitting out one season.
In 2010 Kinne led Tulsa to a No. 6 ranking in scoring offense with 3,650 yards passing, 31 touchdown tosses (144.33 rating, No. 28 nationally) and also was the No. 1 rusher with 561 yards and seven touchdowns.
2011 will be GJ Kinne’s senior season where he will face the very real challenge of playing without head coach Todd Graham who left Tulsa for Pittsburgh earlier this year.
Kinne faces a similar challenge to that of Chandler Harnish, playing for a smaller team in a smaller conference, and, Kinne has the added obstacle of one of the most difficult upcoming schedules in the nation.
How tough? On the road in Norman versus Oklahoma, a home game against Oklahoma State and then on the noxious blue turf of Boise State.
GJ Kinne makes you wonder what would have happened in 2010 if he had stayed in Austin.
James Franklin, Missouri
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James Franklin, from Lake Dallas H.S. in Corinth Texas, was 2010’s No. 4 ranked dual-threat quarterback.
Franklin backed up Blaine Gabbert in 2010 and is now in a heated battle with the younger Gabbert, Tyler for the Tigers’ 2011 starting QB job.
Now, there are a lot of “ifs” between spring practice and Missouri’s September 3 opener against Miami (OH) but Franklin is exactly the kind of guy who could surprise the nation like Newton did.
Big 12 member Missouri is the perfect venue for such a bombshell and a 4-star recruit who threw for 2,360 yards and 22 touchdowns and ran for 1,282 yards and 19 touchdowns during his senior year at high school is just the kind of guy be the big shocker of 2011.
Missouri wins it all? Franklin finishes among the top three in the Heisman voting?
Why not?
Kiehl Frazier, Auburn
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If we’re looking for the next Cam Newton, why not look to the institution that Newton recently led to glory, Auburn.
Frazier, from Shiloh Christian in Springdale Arkansas, was the No. 5 ranked dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2011.
Though Barrett Trotter and Clint Moseley will get an early jump on replacing Newton during spring ball, Frazier is expected to get equal reps come fall practice.
Is it unrealistic to expect the young Frazier to jump to the top of the depth chart before the season even begins? Probably. But Auburn is not going to be afraid to take a chance on a guy, especially given the results of the 2010 Cam Newton experiment.
Additionally, the Tigers are a team in the midst of a complete overhaul, a perfect year to groom a young, very talented quarterback.
It may be more rational to presume that Kiehl Frazier may be a year away from having a Newton-esque season but wouldn’t it be entertaining (though really annoying) to listen to Brent Musburger half-drunkenly say, “Herbie, there goes Frazier.”
Or, if he gets sacked in the Iron Bowl, “Herbie . . . Down goes Frazier, Down goes Frazier!”
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