Jimbo Fisher recklessly compares opponent’s QB to Auburn football legend
Jimbo Fisher recklessly compared Texas A&M’s Week 5 opponent’s quarterback, Arkansas’ K.J. Jefferson, to Auburn football legend Cam Newton ahead of a September 30 showdown in Fayetteville.
“It starts with KJ Jefferson,” Fisher said (h/t All Aggies). “He reminds me of Cam Newton. He’s a 6-foot-5, 250-255-pounder or whatever they say. I know he’s a giant. I don’t know what they weigh him at but he’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast, he’s throwing the ball excellent. He’s making great decisions, he’s hard to get on the ground… Going to have to make sure you wrap him up when you get pressure.”
Where the Jefferson comparison falls apart, besides the Razorbacks’ complete utter lack of success compared to Newton’s 2010 BCS National Champion Tigers, is that though the two have similar passing totals — with season totals in the 2,600-2,854 range for both, though Newton’s one season has surpassed all of Jefferson’s so far in passing yards — their rushing totals are not in the same ballpark. Newton went for 1,473 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground. Jefferson’s yardage peak was 664 and his season-high touchdown total is nine as of right now.
Anthony Richardson’s comparison to Auburn football QB legend Cam Newton has aged well
Anthony Richardson’s one season at Florida resembled Jefferson’s Arkansas career thus far, not Newton’s one year on the Plains. With that said, though, Richardson has at least made the comparisons made of himself to Newton look more reasonable in his brief NFL career.
In his NFL debut, Richardson amassed 273 all-purpose yards and found the endzone twice. Looking far more physically capable at the next level than No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young, Richardson is currently going through the league’s concussion protocol following a Week 2 injury on September 17 against the Houston Texans and their similarly non-No. 1 overall 2023 NFL draft QB C.J. Stroud.
There’s much, much more to be done for Richardson to ever truly deserve the Newton comparison, but his prospects of doing so are seemingly promising.