Cameron Newton was a coveted recruit out of Georgia's Westlake High School in 2007. After signing with the University of Florida, he earned a backup spot behind 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow After being arrested on felony charges, Newton left Florida and enrolled at Blinn Junior College in Texas. Newton led his team to the 2009 NJCAA Football National Championship, after which he was the only 5-star recruit for the 2010 season, as noted on rivals.com. His top two choices for college: Mississippi State University and Auburn University. After his freshman year at Blinn Junior College, he committed to Auburn. During the 2010 football season, Newton led the #1 ranked Tigers to a national championship berth with an undefeated record and also won the Heisman Trophy. Midseason allegations were made that his father, Cecil Newton, had demanded $180,000 from Mississippi State University so his son could play football at MSU. Although Cam did nothing wrong, the question arose: Should an athlete be paid to compete in Division 1 athletics? Recently, this issue of athlete compensation has been a major issue facing college sports. In the case of Cam Newton being paid to play at Mississippi State, ESPN quoted Cecil Newton, father of Cameron Newton, as saying it would take "more than a year." scholarship” to get his son to play at Mississippi State. The more emphasis placed on college athletics, particularly college football, the more circumstances like Cam Newton's seem to come to light. Over the past decade, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has adopted numerous rules regarding the recruiting of high school athletes. NCAA.org offers a 13-page summary of the rules and regulations regarding collection...... middle of paper ...... t action. USA Today August 31, 2004. Print. Estimated Auburn University student spending budgets. Auburn University. July 13, 2010. the web. March 23, 2012NCAA Special Assistance Fund. University of Iowa. Internet. March 23, 2012 Belson, Ken. “A star quarterback is worth it.” New York Times. November 13, 2010 WK2. Web.Upton, Jodi and Kristen Novak. “College majors of college athletes at most schools.” USA Today, November 19, 2009. Web. Whitlock, Jason. “College athletes have already paid their salaries in full.” ESPN.com website. March 23, 2012 Steeg, Jill L, Jodi Upton, Patrick Bohn and Steve Berkowitz. “College Athlete Studies Guided to an ‘Eligibility Major’.” USA Today November 19, 2008 Web. Wieberg, Steve. “NCAA football graduation rates are at an all-time high, but top schools are faltering.” The United States Today. Gannet. Internet. March 27, 2012. Michael Wilbon. “College athletes deserve to be paid.” ESPN.com website. March 28. 2012.