After another weekend of college football, I’ll take a look at first off what has made Cam Newton so special as a rookie quarterback and what that means for future players like himself.
Also, I’ll tackle the 2012 NFL Draft quarterback class in a bit more detail, along with Small School prospect notes by our entire scouting staff, the two best college coaches to hire for the the future, and the Top 10 return-men in college football this year.
Why Cam Newton Has Been Successful; What Does it Mean?
I’ll admit: I wasn’t sold on Cam Newton as a quarterback prospect. I didn’t think he had the accuracy to make throws consistently in tight windows. I didn’t think he could complete passes under 20 yards without overthrowing the ball, as I thought he lacked short area touch to consistently get past defenses. I didn’t think he could make progressions at the NFL level, and he stared down his target too often in college. Overall, I thought he’d need a full year as a starter before he’d finally be able to make NFL reads, play in an NFL pocket, and run an NFL offense.
And for the most part, I STILL think he has those weaknesses as a passer.
But I did overlook a few things that have made Newton so successful. He has a developed throwing motion that allows him to sling the ball across the field with ease. His body type allows for even NFL tacklers to struggle to bring him down on a consistent basis. I overlooked the fact that he puts the ball (generally) in an area where his receiver can get the ball, and even though it’s not a perfect pass, it’s in the mix on almost every throw. And maybe most importantly, to an extent, I overlooked his overall feel for the game. THAT is something that can not be overlooked, ever. Granted his only a few weeks into his pro career and he could topple down like other promising rookies before him, but his ability to will his team to victories despite still needing progression as a passer is outstandingly impressive.
Seeing how well Newton has a feel for the game and is able to produce without being a developed passer is unique not because he’s been winning, but because he’s been winning and productive as a passer at the NFL level. Seeing his ability to produce will likely be a gateway for future well-built, strong armed, athletic quarterbacks who show any kind of promise as a passer to be looked at as a potential NFL starter.
Guys like Logan Thomas (Virginia Tech), Tahj Boyd (Clemson), and EJ Manuel (Florida State) come to mind for the future as potenital NFL teams hoping they are Cam Newton clones. Either way, scouts and future offensive coordinators might take note of the success Newton has when they get their own chance at finding a unique talent at the position and how to develop him properly.
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2012 Quarterback Talk
Tagging along on the Cam Newton quarterback talk, it’s about time we talk some 2012 NFL Draft rankings, and where better to start than with the position that guides the entire draft, the quarterback.
At the very top of every draft board, one name still remains, and Andrew Luck likely won’t leave that spot until he finally declares and goes number one overall. However, after him, things have quickly been shaken up. I am still a big fan of Matt Barkley, as ability to play inside and outside the pocket, his sound technique as a passer, his athletic ability, and his accuracy when given time is impressive. However, he’s struggled to spread the field and hasn’t been as impressive as I once hoped.
While Barkley remains at two, for now, a new #3 has emerged. Robert Griffin of Baylor has been as impressive as any quarterback in college football this season, and if it wasn’t for a loss late to Kansas State this past weekend, he’d likely have his Baylor Bears in the Top 10 mix and his name firmly in the Heisman discussion now. Still, his ability to win from the pocket, standing tall and making reads, showcasing outstanding ball placement and confidence in his arm, and having the athletic ability that he hasn’t needed to use all that much is rare in a college quarterback. Combine that with his outstanding mental make-up and overall football IQ, and he’s an offensive coordinators dream.
After Griffin, there is a bit of a drop off. I have NEVER been a huge fan of Landry Jones as a franchise quarterback, but with his size, solid arm strength, ability to scan the field, and accuracy in tight windows puts him in the mix as a future NFL starter. However, views on him are sometimes in the high first round range, which I don’t see at all. He’s in the late first range with the likes of senior like Kirk Cousins, who I like a lot but hasn’t impressed enough to be a solid first rounder.
To round out the list, I am also not sold on Ryan Tannehill of Texas A&M (as I wrote last week), but he has some NFL skills that I like and can be worked with. Brandon Weeded of Oklahoma State would be a first round potential guy if it wasn’t for him being 28 years old. A key thing to keep in mind for him is that teams can’t treat him like a regular rookie: at 28, he has to be scouted as an NFL veteran (to an extent) right now. He can’t develop for 3 years, he needs to be able to contribute now.
Finally, BJ Coleman of UT-Chattanooga, Nick Foles of Arizona, Ryan Lindley of San Diego State, and Kellen Moore of Boise State are all in the mix of 2nd-4th round quarterback prospects to throw in with Weeden and Tannehill.
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Small School Notes for the Week
Reports Done by Eric Galko, Damond Talbot, Mark Dulgerian, Sean Welek, and our writer Walker Rhodes 
Tennessee Chattanooga
-Quarterback BJ Coleman can make most throws if he has time. Made some very nice passes down the field, and spread the ball around pretty well. His offensive line has the potential to cost Coleman a lot of money. Overall it wasn’t a bad outing for Coleman but not great either. Really needed to rally the team in the 4th and couldn’t do it. -Wide receiver Joel Bradford is a small, shifty WR. Chattanooga likes to use him outside and in the slot. They use lots of screens and short routes to get him the ball in space. Couldn’t turn any of those into a big play Saturday though. He gets pretty decent separation down the field on longer routes, but I don’t think he has the elite speed you’d need at the next level to do that consistently. He CAN run pretty good routes, he’s gonna need good coaching to keep it consistent. His size limits him in run blocking down the field but he’ll occasionally get a good block in. -Safety Jordan Tippit didn’t let anything get past him, but he was rarely tested. He came up in man on mad D on the slot WRs a couple of times, and showed pretty good run support in those situations. In the past he’s shown flashes of being really good but he’s been pretty inconsistent. He also has pretty bad hands and drops a lot of INTs (but does get in good positions to make the plays). -Linebacker Ryan Consiglio primarily played the SAM LB spot, occasionally played the weakside. Showed great recognition against the triple option, always seemed to be in the right spot. Did a decent job of getting off most blocks, but really struggled when the OL/FB went low on him. Jackson State
-Donavan Robinson has good speed and a relentless motor. He was all over the field against Texas Southern 10 Tkl, 3.5 TFL, 2 sacks. He does a good job rushing the passer. He is quick off the snap, shows good speed, and competes his tail off. He can stand up and rush the passer, is sneaky off the edge and plays with good leverage. He needs to work on his strength as he is not a powerful rusher are very stout vs blockers. Bethune Cookman Wildcats
-Ryan Davis (OLB) and Reggie Sandilands (ILB) made plays throughout the night. Ryan Davis was constantly getting pressure on Harris but because of Harris quickness he was able to get away from Davis. -Eddie Poole (WR) of Bethune continues to impress, he has showed great skills and was able to beat the Miami defenders. Norfolk State
-WR Xiaver Boyce of Norfolk State was having a great game yesterday, he runs pretty good routes and is a smooth kid. He has good hands and was able to make some tough catches. South Carolina State
-Donovan Richard (LB) was all over the field ending the game showing great vision and tracking the ball well sideline to sideline Concordia St. Paul
-Tyler Hendrickson, left tackle, was a guy I wrote about last week too. At 6’7, 325, he’s bound to get NFL looks, but is a little stiff in his hips and struggles laterally in the run game. He does drive well off the line, but could use a stronger punch and needs to get his hands in better placement. -Fellow senior offensive lineman, center Kyle McNanus was more impressive than last week. He drives well off the snap, fights with hands well, and can engage and drive at the second level. He doesn’t have great quickness, but his length is something that adds versatility to his game. -Tre Mason, senior receiver, has a decent burst off the line, but he’s very thin, runs too high, lacks great flexibility, and quickness. Augustana
-Dan O’Keefe, the better of the two safeties to watch on this team, played well scouting-wise, as he came hard off the edge with a good burst, attacked the ball well, closed on receivers after the catch well. He did struggle getting off blocks, including from receivers, which is a concern for the next level. -His fellow senior safety, Zack Kallas, wasn’t as impressive as I hoped. He’s a decent athlete and is aggressive as a tackler, but doesn’t have great range and lacks the hips to quickly turn and play deep zone in the NFL. Edinboro
-Keir Jeter, defensive end, really impressed me in this one. He has great length, stays balanced as a rusher, angles his body well, and uses his strong hands and thick lower half to drive. He needs to get stronger in his upper body (has the frame to fill out a little more), and has only average change of direction skills. But he’s a powerful run stopper who shakes blocks fairly well. -On the offensive side of the ball, Shane Hess, a right tackle, looked solid for a D2 tackle prospect. He switches blocks well and comes off the snap with a good pop in his step. He slides fairly well and can get out in space, but lacks power, balance, and upper body strength to be a right tackle in the NFL. Lewis & Clark
-TE Shawn Evans is a big receiving tight end with big strong hands. He is a good athlete who is often split out wide like a wide receiver. Evans isn’t a precise route runner but he has good speed to stretch the field and is dangerous on the seams. Evans goes up and attacks the ball at its highest point and turns upfield quickly. He is only an average blocker and is more of a WR/TE tweener. -RB Joevonte Mayes is vastly undersized at 5-6 but is effective outside of the tackles. He shows some elusiveness but is tackles too easily and lacks burner speed in the open field. -OLB Louis Baltazar is an instinctive player with adequate pass rush skills. He is physical and takes on blockers and does a good job of fighting through to make plays. He has good closing speed and is a strong tackler. -ILB Dan Curtin suffered an injury last week but fought through it this week against Pacific. He looked stiff, especially in coverage, and seemed to be a step slow this week. Still, he shows good instincts and recognition ability. When he’s healthy he is a tackling machine.
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Need a College Head Coach? Two GREAT Ones Are Available for Hire
By the start of this season, 22 FBS programs had a change at head coach (not including Pitt’s two different hires). When big programs make a change, like Michigan, Florida, and Miami last year, it requires a big name coach to fill the void, generally.
So, with big jobs in the SEC, ACC, and Pac-12 likely to open up next year, who can fill those shoes? I have two names that would be at or very near the top of my list: Mike Leach and Rich Rodriguez.
As a Michigan fan, I know a lot about Rich Rodriguez. I know he struggled at Michigan, I know he couldn’t form a suitable defense, and I know that he wasn’t the right man for the job. But I also know that it wasn’t the ideal fit for him, coaching in a more physical, colder environment in the Big Ten. Keep in mind that before he came to Michigan, he was 60-26 at West Virginia, won 4 Big East titles form 2002-2007, and was at one time courted by Alabama to be their head coach before he turned them down. Two potential openings make sense for RichRod: UCLA, North Carolina .
Mike Leach was run out of Texas Tech with really no good reason other than the well known banterings of a certain ESPN personality. He never had a losing season there, had one 11 win season, finished with an 84-43 record, and at one point had his team firmly in the BCS National Title discussion. He is a bit of a loose cannon, from his questioning of the Big 12 as over-loving Texas (maybe not too far off) to his antics as a head coach. All in all, however, his players have respected him, his understudies have produced with his offense, and he’s won games as a head coach. I’d guess he’d like to be back in the Big 12 someplace, but being with any BCS affiliated conference would likely be enough for Leach to get back into college football.
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Top 10…Best Returners in FBS College Football 
Here’s a rough ranking of the best (and most productive) returners in college football this year. I did take in to account number of returns as well as ability to make plays outside of just returning the ball.
Marquis Maze, Joe Adams, Morris Claiborne, and Jordan White are all solid NFL draft prospects, with Claiborne being the best of the bunch, and Joe Adams/Jordan White being solid Top 5 rounders. Western Michigan has two players on the list in White and Devon Wake, who leads all kick returners who have over 10 returns in yards averaged. Only Joe Adams of Arkansas and Jamal Miles of Arizona State have two return touchdowns of any kind this year.
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