Making the morning rounds.• Shiny things. Auburn quarterback Cam Newton picked up three new trophies Thursday night on the pre-Heisman circuit, walking away from ESPN's annual awards show in Orlando with the Davey O'Brien Award (for which he received the Doc's vote) as the nation's best quarterback and the Walter Camp and Maxwell Awards as the nation's best player, period. Newton – who has said jack to local or national reporters for the last month – also used the occasion to tell ESPN's Chris Fowler he "did no wrong" during his recruitment out of junior college last year, and said he hasn't spoken with his father about the alleged pay-for-play scheme that the NCAA and SEC both agree the elder Newton perpetrated. [Associated Press]
Other big winners included Oregon running back LaMichael James (Doak Walker Award), Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon (Biletnikoff Award), Wisconsin tackle Gabe Carimi (Outland Trophy) and LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson, who left with the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back and the Bednarik Award as the best overall defensive player. ESPN's show somehow didn't include the week's other prolific trophy magnet, Clemson's Da'Quan Bowers, who was previously plied with the Nagurski Award as the top defensive player and the Ted Hendricks Award as the best defensive end. [Rivals]
• He's back, baby! Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley's "far, wide" search for the Gators' next head coach has taken him at least as far as Tampa, where Foley and outgoing coach Urban Meyer were spotted Thursday chatting up ESPN talking head, Tampa resident and perpetual job candidate Jon Gruden at an event for the Outback Bowl. A friendly chat between colleagues whose professional obligations coincidentally put them in the same room for an hour or two? Or the beginning of a beautiful friendship? The Gainesville Sun thinks the answer is obvious. [Gainesville Sun]
• We'll pay whatever you want, as long as you keep it respectable. In less spurious coaching rumors, Vanderbilt appears to be on the verge of hiring one of two up-and-coming offensive coordinators, Auburn's Gus Malzahn or Maryland's James Franklin. Malzahn has been at the front of Vandy's mind since short-lived boss Robbie Caldwell resigned last month, and the Commodores have reportedly stepped up to make him an offer he can't refuse, possibly in "the ballpark of $3 million per year." At the same time, Franklin – the coach-in-waiting at Maryland, which will owe him $1 million if he's not in head coach Ralph Friedgen's office by Jan. 1, 2012 – has had two in-person interviews for the Vandy job and seemed to Washington Post beat writer Eric Prisbell to be "in an especially bubbly mood, with his cell phone ringing like crazy" this week. [The Tennessean, Washington Post]
• And the award for Most Awkward Moment in a Bowl Game goes to… Dave Wannstedt, who has decided to coach Pittsburgh in the BBVA Compass Bowl against Kentucky on Jan. 8, almost exactly one month after being pushed out the door following his third consecutive winning season. Given Wannstedt's terse "resignation" announcement on Wednesday, that month will be spent showing up at noon, playing pencil darts on the ceiling and dropping at least one expensive piece of office machinery off the roof. [PantherLair.com]
Meanwhile, Kentucky quarterback Mike Hartline's presence in the opposing huddle in Birmingham is in the air after he was hit with three misdemeanor charges this morning for disorderly conduct and public intoxication outside a Lexington bar. According to police, Hartline was in an argument with a woman when he was spooked by a nearby police cruiser and began walking away. Hartline was "unsteady on his feet" when talking to an officer, and the woman said Hartline had hit her, though there were no visible injuries. A UK spokesman said coach Joker Phillips is aware of the charges but hasn't formally addressed them. [Lexington Herald-Leader]
• It's transfer time. Two once-hyped quarterback recruits, Penn State's Kevin Newsome and West Virginia's Barry Brunetti, plan to transfer to parts unknown after spending the season on the bench behind freshman starters (Robert Bolden and Geno Smith, respectively) who seem entrenched for the next three years. Newsome, the overwhelming favorite in Happy Valley to emerge as heir apparent to Daryll Clark as a true sophomore, wound up third on the Nittany Lions' depth chart, behind both Bolden and former walk-on Matt McGloin. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Harrisburg Patriot-News]
Quickly… Michigan fans are cleaved into three equal factions over Rich Rodriguez's future. … Dan Mullen continues to insist he's not looking to leave Mississippi State. … Nebraska recruits aren't hearing much about those Pelini-to-Miami rumors. … Andrew Luck isn't making a decision about the draft until after the Orange Bowl. … Butch Davis sought counseling for his team amid the ongoing NCAA investigation and subsequent suspensions. … An argument for Mack Brown to hire Mike Leach as offensive coordinator. … Doing the math on Seantrel Henderson's preseason transfer from USC to Miami. … Visualizing every kick by the three Lou Groza finalists. … The almighty BCS basically consists of six laptops and Bill Hancock's living room. … And Hancock gets fisked.
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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
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