Dan Mullen (left) and Tim Tebow (right) (AP Photo/Jim Lytle)
Even though it’s SEC Media Days, questions were still asked about Ohio State’s three-headed monster at quarterback.
Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen was asked about the upcoming QB battle between Cardale Jones, J.T. Barrett and Braxton Miller for the Buckeyes, and the coach related it to a problem he faced while as the University of Florida's offensive coordinator.
"It's a good and bad problem to have," Mullen told CBSSports.com's Jon Solomon on Tuesday at the 2015 SEC Media Days. "It worked out to be a good problem for (Ohio State) last year when they needed all three to be stars. I think the tricky part of it is now that they all are (stars) and have played and expect to play, that's even harder.
"When I was at Florida, I knew Cam Newton was the real deal but Timmy [Tebow] was playing. … If Timmy had gotten hurt, Cam would have come in and won the championship. And that's the challenge."
Looking back on it now, it’s conceivable to think that would be true. After Newton transferred from Florida after off-the-field issues, he returned to the SEC to lead Auburn to the 2010 national championship.,
The main difference between Newton and Tebow during their Florida days was the maturity level that both quarterbacks possessed. Who knows if Newton was mature enough to lead Florida to a national championship if he was forced to play during the 2008 season.
Tebow returned for his senior season in 2009 and was then replaced by John Brantley, who struggled mightily in his Gators career.
As it turns out, Newton has gone on to have the most success in football out of the three quarterbacks.
