Caldwell's Monday morning quarterback column

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Jason Caldwell's Monday morning quarterback column

ByJason Caldwell

4-5 minutes

Football Discussions

The Southeastern Conference and athletic directors from around the league are expected to meet on Monday to continue discussions about what football could look like this fall. Following the announcement last week that the Big 10 was moving to conference-only games it seemed like an eventuality that everyone else would follow suit in the Power5 leagues, but I don’t think the SEC is ready to throw in the towel just yet.

I believe the league will be the last to give in and concede that non-conference games won’t be played. Will it be easy to play someone from outside the league right now? No, but it could still be done with testing the key. Both teams are going to have to be tested and given plenty of time. The SEC will do that throughout the season, but it will have to make sure others are following along as well.

Not playing the season at all is the last resort for the Southeastern Conference and everyone around college football, but I think it’s important for SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and everyone in the league to continue to try to help other programs if possible.

Taking away the non-conference games from the Group of 5 leagues is going to be a killer for programs all over the country. I believe the SEC is going to try its best to make sure that doesn’t happen.

No. 23

On Sunday afternoon junior grad transfer Caylin Newton tweeted out a photo of him wearing #23 and also wearing gloves. That backs up what we heard and reported when Newton committed to Auburn that he would get his first crack as a wide receiver.

The younger brother of Cam Newton, he played quarterback his first two seasons at Howard, but will now take his shot at playing wide receiver for the Tigers. While he’s also expected to get a look as a potential emergency quarterback, expect Newton to be catching passes instead of throwing them at Auburn.

Replacing A Good Catch

One of the most difficult players to replace for Butch Thompson and the Auburn Tigers next season will be catcher Matt Scheffler. A two-year starter after coming to the Plains from a junior college, Scheffler was a coach on the field for the Tigers and was headed for a huge senior season until the season was canceled after just 18 games.

The good news is that Auburn has some very good options as the team gets ready for fall practices with a pair of redshirt freshmen and a true freshman all capable of winning the job.

Playing in eight games with three starts last season, Nate LaRue got valuable experience and has the physical tools to become a star for the Tigers. Injured last season and undergoing Tommy John surgery, Ryan Dyal was a player the coaching staff had high hopes for playing a key role as a hitter during his freshman season. With the ability to swing the bat well from the left side, Dyal is definitely a name to remember.

The third catcher on the roster for the 2021 season is signee Ben Schorr from Columbus, Ga., High School. A powerful player at 6-1, 205, Schorr gives Auburn a third candidate for one of the most important positions on the field.

Speaking of Important

For a two years Coach Mickey Dean has been talking about getting his 2021 class on campus and a big reason for that is pitcher Maddie Penta. A 6-2 right-hander from Cheaspeake, Penta was ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the country by FloSoftball and is a two-time Virginia Player of the Year.

A three-time Class A high school state champion at Bohemia Manor, she concluded her prep softball career with a 49-1 record, a 0.07 earned run average and 762 strikeouts in only 321 innings pitched. 

Along with the returning Samanthan Yarbrough and Lexie Handley, Penta should give the Tigers another very strong arm as they look to return to competing at the top of the Southeastern Conference.

(Photo: 247Sports)