Cam Newton won the heisman trophy, never lost a game, and won a national championship as the quarterback of the Auburn Tigers. On the field, Newton rushed for 1,473 yards and 20 touchdowns while passing for 2,854 yards and 30 TDs (he also had a receiving TD). He set Auburn season records for both rushing and passing TDs and total offense and an SEC mark for yards on the ground by a quarterback. Auburn announced last night that Newton will forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft. Here is more from the AP and espn.com

"This decision was difficult for me and my family," Newton said, adding that he made it after talking to coach Gene Chizik and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn.

"It's been a blessing for me to be a part of something so great," he said. "Any time you win games it's a big deal, but for this school to win a BCS national championship, what a way to make people happy. Auburn is a special place that I can call home."

The former backup to Tim Tebow at Florida arrived after leading Blinn College in Texas to a junior college national championship and won on a much bigger stage with the Tigers.

The national champions are waiting on Lombardi Award-winning defensive tackle Nick Fairley to announce his NFL decision on Friday in his hometown of Mobile. Fairley might be the No. 1 overall pick, but the 6-foot-6, 250-pound Newton is the guy that Chizik called "probably the best football player I've ever seen" after the Southeastern Conference championship game.

"We appreciate Cameron's many contributions to Auburn and the outstanding leader that he was for our football team," Chizik said. "He had one of the greatest individual seasons ever by an Auburn player and was a key part of our championship run. Cam will always be a member of the Auburn family and we wish him the best in his future endeavors."

The College Park, Ga., native was chosen the Walter Camp and Associated Press National Player of the Year. Newton also won the Maxwell Award as the nation's top player and the Davey O'Brien Award as the best quarterback.

Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft2011/news/story?id=6019964

Newton is one of the best players in college football history. He accounted for 51 touchdowns this year. LSU, Texas, Penn State, and 79 other FCS schools didn't score 51 touchdowns this season. Florida struggled this year to replace Tim Tebow. Considering how much Newton meant to Auburn, coupled with the fact that Nick Fairley will probably forgo his senior year as well, look for the national champs to take a big step backwards next season.

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