LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Auburn star Cam Newton won the Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s top quarterback Thursday night, when he also walked away with the Maxwell Award as the best all-around player in the country. His next stop will be New York, where he’s the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday.
“No guy would be able to do it without a supporting cast,” he said to a College Football Awards Show audience that included his mother Jackie and coach Gene Chizik.
Before the show, Newton said in an interview with ESPN that he “did no wrong” during the recruiting process that led to him signing with Auburn.
“I’m a person that did no wrong,” Newton said. “I did it the right way.”
Newton had not spoken publicly about the failed pay-for- play scheme involving his father Cecil and former Mississippi State player Kenny Rogers while the quarterback was being recruited by the Bulldogs. The NCAA ruled Cam Newton was unaware of the payment scheme.
Newton told ESPN he hadn’t directly asked his father what transpired between him and Mississippi State, but “at the end of the day I can look him in the eye and know he has my best interests at heart.”
Cecil Newton, whose access to Auburn athletics has been limited by the university in conjunction with the NCAA findings, said he will not attend the Heisman ceremony so that he does not “rob Cam and the event of a sacred moment.”
Footnotes.
Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne denied a report that coach Bo Pelini is a candidate for the University of Miami’s head coaching vacancy created by the firing of Randy Shannon last month. Pelini said he didn’t seek permission to interview for another job.
• A day after he retired as Florida’s coach, Urban Meyer said he plans to work as an adviser for the Gators athletics program in an undetermined role.
• Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Phil Bennett said Dave Wannstedt, who announced his resignation as coach Tuesday, will be the acting coach when the Panthers face Kentucky in the BBVA Compass Bowl on Jan. 8.
• Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said he hasn’t been contacted about another coaching job and has “no plans on going anywhere.”
Denver Post wire services
Awards
Press Maxwell Award (best all-around player): Cam Newton, Auburn, QB
Chuck Bednarik Trophy (best defensive player): Patrick Peterson, LSU, CB
Outland Trophy (best interior lineman): Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin, OT
Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award (best quarterback): Cam Newton, Auburn
Doak Walker Award (best running back): LaMichael James, Oregon
Fred Biletnikoff Award (best wide receiver): Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
Jim Thorpe Award (best defensive back): Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
Lou Groza Collegiate (place-kicker award): Dan Bailey, Oklahoma State
Ray Guy Award (best punter): Chas Henry, Florida
The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award: Gene Chizik, Auburn
Disney’s Wide World of Sports Spirit Award: D.J. Williams, Arkansas, TE
NCFAA Contribution to College Football: Award Lee Corso, former coach and commentator
