Carmel QB emerges as hot property | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star
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The recruiting interest in Carmel quarterback Morgan Newton has surged since he led the Greyhounds to the Class 5A state championship in November.
Ranked as one of the elite quarterback prospects in the nation in his class, Newton recently spent time with some of the top college coaches in the South as part of his process to evaluate possible destinations.
The 6-4, 215-pound junior and his family talked with Phillip Fulmer at
Tennessee, Steve Spurrier at South Carolina, Tommy Bowden at Clemson, Tom O'Brien at N.C. State, Al Groh at Virginia and Rich Brooks at Kentucky. Newton also visited North Carolina and Virginia.
The college visits came as part of a spring break trip to an elite basketball event in Virginia, the Boo Williams Invitational.
"For the most part, I was trying to gather information," Newton said. "It was a great trip. Having the family with me was a good thing. You can go to the campus, but that's not everything.
"I'm trying to learn more about those places."
Several places included personal touches. Newton had a conversation with Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart, sat in on a quarterbacks meeting with the coaching staff at Clemson, and saw Spurrier's 1966 Heisman Trophy and the 1998 national championship trophy in Fulmer's office.
Newton already has offers from Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Iowa, Penn State, Kentucky, Louisville, Minnesota, Clemson, South Carolina, Nebraska, Penn State, Virginia and Cincinnati.
Newton also talked to Florida coach Urban Meyer by phone Friday night.
Newton said he doesn't have a list of favorites but plans to narrow his options later this summer "when we see who is really, really interested."
Newton won't have to look far for guidance. His father, John Newton, is an assistant principal at Carmel who played for Eddie Robinson at Grambling.
"I'm looking at the people," Newton said. "One thing I picked up on the trip is that a lot of places have great facilities, but the people I'm going to be around is important -- the coaching staff, what's comfortable for me and my family.
"A lot of people think location is a big deal. For us, it's whatever fits best. It doesn't matter how far from Carmel, Indiana, it is."
Newton, who was listed among Rivals' 100 to watch for 2009, has been invited to the prestigious Elite 11 quarterback camp, and attended the U.S. Army National Combine in January at San Antonio.
As a junior, Newton completed 124-of-213 passes for 1,883 yards with 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions while rushing for 750 yards and 11 touchdowns.
He has attended a couple of showcase events for football since the season ended in November, but he's also good enough in basketball that he's playing with the SYF Players, a northern Indiana program that has included players such as Purdue's E'Twaun Moore and Robbie Hummel the past few years.
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