Cameron Newton has been one of the
top quarterbacks on LSU’s recruiting board since the staff started evaluating
signal callers for 2007 but after the impressive showing he had at the Scout.com
Combine at Georgia Tech the Tigers will have plenty of others to fend off if
they hope to land the Peach State talent.
Newton, a 6-5, 220-pounder out of
Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake, surprised nearly everyone in attendance when he posted a
4.51 in the 40-yard dash.
Everyone was well aware that he had
a big league arm that could make all of the throws but bringing his speed down
from a 4.8 to a 4.5 makes him all the more dangerous when things break down in
the pocket.
LSU was the first school to offer
Newton a scholarship but Virginia Tech and Ole Miss soon followed suit. Now,
Florida and Georgia have decided to throw their names into the hat but one can
bet they will not be the last.
This time of the year, assistant
coaches are normally making most of the contact with recruits but in LSU’s case
Les Miles has reportedly taken a much bigger role in this chase.
“Coach Miles stays in pretty close
contact by text messaging me a lot,” said Newton, who put up some terrific
numbers as a junior by passing for over 2,500 yards and 23 touchdowns, and
adding 638 yards and nine scores on the ground.
“He sends me a lot of stuff saying
how they are looking at me real hard and they are expecting big things from me
as a senior. He and some of the other coaches from LSU are supposed to be at my
spring game on Friday.”
It should be a pretty big crowd of
college coaches in attendance when Newton hits the field on Friday as he has had
so many come through over the past couple of weeks that he can’t even keep up
with them all.
“There has been so many that when
people ask I can’t even name them all,” he said. “The question is more of who
hasn’t come by?”
As for the recruiting process in
general Newton is sitting back and enjoying the process.
“It’s a lot of fun,” he said with a
big laugh. “Having all of these coaches come to your school to look at you is
like a dream come true.
“As a ninth grader, you see all of
these coaches come through to recruit the older guys and you just hope you are
fortunate enough for it to happen it to you. Then for it to actually happen is
just like your dream finally did come true.”
Newton said he doesn’t really have
a list of favorites right now as he is just listening to what coaches have to
say and what they have to offer. While listening, though, he does have something
that stays in the back of his mind.
“I’m always looking at the depth
chart and where my best chance is going to be to play,” he said.
Does he feel like LSU presents that
chance?
“I really think they do,” he said.
“They only have a red shirt freshman in (Ryan) Perrilloux for the future. Coach
Miles tells me all the time how the coaches watch my film a lot and they have me
rated real high on their board.”
Aside from the playing time factor
Newton says there are plenty of other things he likes when he looks at
LSU.
“I like their offense and what they
bring to the table,” he said. “I like their big quarterback JaMarcus Russell and
I think I’m a lot like him. They have a lot of speed guys and are really strong
at the skill positions. Their offense seems like it is tailor made for a guy
like me.”
With summer right around the
corner, Newton said he knows he is going to be hitting several camps but is
unsure of where he will be traveling to.
In the fall, though, he knows one
place he will be going.
“I’ll be visiting LSU for sure,” he
said. “That is one I will definitely visit.”
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