Auburn coach Gene Chizik just spoke to reporters about the decision to name Cam Newton the No. 1 quarterback coming out of spring. Here's a quick rundown of what he had to say:

• Chizik thinks it was important to get a No. 1 named heading into summer workouts, so the quarterback can get his timing down with receivers and linemen.

• Chizik and the staff re-evaluated all of the practice tapes from the spring before making the decision.

• He listed a few things about Newton that stood out, calling him "very impressive" overall:

• an intangible leadership quality
• he energizes the offense
• his high completion percentage in practice
• his "escabability"

• Chizik on Newton: "He's not told everyone what he's going to do. He closed his mouth and went to work."

• Chizik reiterated that the staff wasn't going to make a decision until they were ready. They wanted to stay open-minded throughout the process.

• He said it was tough on all of the quarterbacks to get hear the decision but noted that Newton is merely the No. 1 quarterback right now, not the starter. "It's a long journey," he said. "Keep working."

• Chizik said he has not spoken yet to QB Tyrik Rollison, who sat out the spring to "focus on academics," but he DOES NOT expect Rollison to be back next year. Rumors that Rollison planned to transfer emerged in the offseason.

Back with more a little later.

And a quick programming note: Because of the Newton decision, I'm pushing back the defensive line recap until tomorrow.