Is Auburn the Perfect Landing Spot for QB Russell Wilson?

The Auburn Tigers and their many loyal fans are still riding high after last season’s undefeated run to a BCS national title.

The Tigers, led by breakout star QB Cam Newton, put together a 2010 campaign that captivated the college football universe and culminated with a few new pieces of hardware for the school’s trophy case.

Newton, who went on to become Auburn's third Heisman winner, turned out to be the central figure of the season and one of the most intensely scrutinized and talked about college athletes of this era.

The astoundingly athletic quarterback’s one year of pure dominance is sure to go down as one of the best single seasons in college football history.

The problem for Auburn, however, is that last season is now just a distant memory, and the Tigers are left with the reality of trying to replace a young man who just left the team four months ago yet has already earned a statue outside of the stadium.

Yes, Newton may have been nothing more than a one year wonder, a shooting star that demanded our attention for what seemed like such a small sliver of time. But that doesn’t mean the star quarterback’s legend will be anything but superbly difficult to live up to.

At this point, coach Gene Chizik and the Tigers don’t have any answer for, "Who will replace Cam Newton?"  

Right now, it’s a multiple choice question with three possible answers: Barrett Trotter, Clint Moseley or Kiehl Frazier.

If you were to call nine career pass attempts experience, then Trotter, a rising junior, leads the group in that department. But neither he nor Moseley, a sophomore who has two career rushes under his belt, looked all that impressive during the spring.

Then there’s Kiehl Frazier, a 4-star recruit out of Shiloh Christian High School in Arkansas, who most closely resembles Newton out of the three and who appears to be the one who is best suited for Gus Malzahn’s unique spread offense.

Frazier will have his shot to state his case in the fall.

It appears though that there could possibly be a fourth option for that multiple choice question.

ESPN’s Joe Schad reported that former North Carolina State QB Russell Wilson visited with the defending champs today.

Wilson, who was granted a release that would allow him to immediately suit up for another school, is currently playing minor league baseball for the Colorado Rockies organization.

The 5’11’’, 200 lb. senior is a dynamic athlete who put together a sensational season in 2010.

Last year, Wilson threw for over 3,500 yards and 28 TDs and added over 400 yards and nine TDs on the ground as he carried the Wolfpack to a nine-win season and a victory over West Virginia in the Champs Sports Bowl.

He was set to be one of the faces of the ACC in 2011 but NC State coach Tom O’Brien had grown tired of Wilson’s dual allegiances, and he decided to cut ties with him in favor of intriguing junior signal caller Mike Glennon.

After his release, it was expected that Wilson would focus his efforts on his baseball future but apparently, one last go-round on the gridiron is a real possibility.

Wilson has been contacted by numerous schools but Auburn appears to be one of his best available landing spots.

The dual threat quarterback would be a perfect fit for Gus Malzahn’s system and the Tigers would count themselves lucky to be able to replace Cam Newton with an experienced and proven offensive leader.

It seems like a win-win situation for both parties, but there’s still no telling what kind of future plans are floating through Wilson’s mind at this point.

It’s a long shot that, at his height, Wilson would have a future as a quarterback in the NFL, so you would have to wonder why he would delay and possibly jeopardize a future professional baseball career to play one more season of college football.

Sometimes though, players just love the game, and it’s tough for them to walk away from the spotlight that college football provides.

If that’s the case, more power to Wilson. It’s refreshing to see young athletes who refuse to give up on their dream.

Let’s get one thing straight. Russell Wilson is not Jeremiah Masoli, the former Oregon quarterback who transferred to Ole Miss last spring and ended up flaming out down in Oxford.

Wilson can play. He’s no product of any system.

If Wilson were to actually make the commitment to come play football for Auburn, it would put them right back in the conversation for the SEC West division crown.

The SEC West is loaded this year. Alabama, LSU, Arkansas and Mississippi State all look like they have a chance to compete, and it's hard to believe that the Tigers would be able to climb over all those tough teams with an inexperienced quarterback at the helm.

If Wilson’s running the show, it’s a different story.

There’s no guarantee that he could learn the entire offense in such a short amount of time, but it’s certainly an experiment that’s worth the risk.