Whitt Newbauer from Cardinal Gibbons had options. Why the Raleigh senior chose Mercer

The modern college football world enraptures us, even as the sport drifts further from its roots. Too often it seems limited to the glitterati.

The rich and famous are the Power 5 conference members in the Football Bowl Subdivision. School administrators bend to TV network mega-deals, fans fawn over 5- and 4-star recruits setting up orchestrated commitment announcements on social media (that is, if ESPN passes on televising it live), the players chase NIL money and athletes conveniently change identities through the transfer portal.

But what about the overwhelming majority of high school football players who love the game for its essence? They don’t fit the recruiting profile of a big-time FBS school.

Cardinal Gibbons coach Steven Wright advises his players if they love football, they don’t have to chase one of the 133 FBS schools. They can find the right fit among the NCAA’s 537 lower division options — Football Championship Series, 128 schools; Division II, 169; and Division III, 140.

And sometimes he has a player come to that conclusion on his own.

Cardinal Gibbons senior quarterback Whitt Newbauer, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound, second-year starter, committed July 5 to Mercer University, an FCS member in Macon, Georgia.

“I didn’t want to go to a school just because I liked that school,” said Newbauer, referencing the familiar Power 5 names.

His first offer was from Central Michigan University, an FBS Mid-American Conference school in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. Mercer was his second. Although Central Michigan provided him a higher profile, Newbauer viewed the offers through a different lens.

CMU, he knew, chased quarterbacks it lost out on before offering him. By contrast, Mercer head coach David Cronic and quarterbacks coach David Salmon targeted him as their No. 1 QB prospect. Salmon is familiar with Triangle high schools as an Apex High alumnus. He played three years at Campbell University (FCS) and was a graduate transfer at Mars Hill University (Division II), where he earned second-team All-South Atlantic Conference.

“Mercer really came after me, and I felt I connected with the Mercer coaches,” Newbauer said. “It didn’t feel like that with other schools. It’s a great school, and I liked the campus. I’ve watched their games, and I like their offense.”

Newbauer’s senior season was off to a fast start the first four games until he suffered an injury in the first half of the fifth game. He was sidelined the second half, a 24-6 win over Hillside, and for last week’s sixth game, a 51-13 victory in the Crusaders’ 4A CAP 6 Conference opener at Athens Drive. Sophomore Gannon Jones (5-9, 165) has filled in for Newbauer.

Wright says Newbauer’s upper-body injury isn’t serious and he’ll be back, but he is for now “week-to-week.”

Cardinal Gibbons (4-2, 1-0 4A CAP 6) travels for a 7 p.m. Friday game at Enloe (4-2, 1-0 4A CAP 6). Enloe is one of the Triangle’s feel-good stories under second-year coach Ryan Clark. The Enloe graduate and former Cardinal Gibbons assistant has turned around the program after a 0-10 record last year.

One of Newbauer’s goals entering the season was improving his footwork to aid his pocket presence and sensing the rush. His first four games included two 300-yard performances in shootouts: a 347-yarder (29-43-1) with four touchdowns in a season-opening 35-31 win over Jordan and a 377-yarder (22-40-0) with three TDs in the fourth game, a 52-32 loss to Rolesville.

The Crusaders traveled for their second game to Florida that was interesting for more reasons than representing “The CG Bowl” won by Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons, 28-21. Newbauer was 30-of-40 for 283 yards with two touchdowns and one interception while squaring off against the “other” CG quarterback, North Carolina commit Michael Merdinger (6-3, 200). Merdinger finished 27-of-42 for 263 yards with three TDs and no picks.

In the Crusaders’ third game, a 26-9 win over Richmond, Newbauer demonstrated his ability to adjust as the Rockingham school’s defense focused on the Crusaders’ spread passing attack. Gibbons rushed for 247 yards while Newbauer threw for 169 (15-of-24-1) and one touchdown.

“We’ve started off the season good,” Newbauer said. “I like how we’re playing. If we keep improving like we’ve been playing, we’re going to be tough to beat.”

Newbauer’s quarterback foundation derives from his father, Mike, an Appalachian State backup in the mid-1980s when the Mountaineers were Division I-AA (now FCS). But Mike Newbauer stood only 6-1. Whitt shot past Dad with a growth spurt to prototypical QB height.

Whitt arrived at Cardinal Gibbons as a 5-10 freshman, grew to 6-0 as a sophomore, 6-2 as a junior and another three inches as a senior. His doctor tells Whitt he might still grow to 6-6 or 6-7. And, of course, 18-year-olds naturally fill out in their 20s, so increasing his college weight is a given.

“The other thing that comes with growth is arm strength,” Wright said. “Whitt has not hit his ceiling. He will continue to develop as a player at Mercer.”

Cardinal Gibbons players in college

There are currently nine college freshmen from Cardinal Gibbons continuing their football career at FCS, Division II or Division III schools:

Wyatt Brown, Greensboro College

Brock Chappell, Furman

Oliver Evans, Tufts

Trey Hoffman, Elon

Nick Lemon, Dartmouth

Kohl Stevens, Samford

Josh Stoneking, Furman

Jamil Tucker, Presbyterian

Tommy Turner, Hampton Sydney