TWO-A-DAYS: Belated 87 Days to Kickoff! - Cameron Jerrell Newton

ŁĒT’Š ÇĖŁÊBRÂTĘ THË KĮÑG

No need for two-a-days on the weekend. Plus, this is an extra special countdown post.

THE RECRUIT

Cameron Newton was going to be the next Vince Young. Standing at 6’ 6” and weighing in around 240 lbs coming out of Westlake High School in 2007, the five star phenom had it all: the arm, the size, the speed, the talent. Not to mention the smile. It was no wonder when he decided to go to the University of Florida, as the Gators had just won a national title utilizing another bowling ball of a quarterback.

THE FLORIDA PLAYER

While this countdown is about Auburn players, it’s important to include Newton’s time at Florida when telling his story. With Tim Tebow taking the reigns as the starting quarterback in 2007, Cam beat out John Brantley for the backup QB job in what has to be considered the best college quarterback room of all time.

Newton played sporadically in the 2007 and 2008 seasons, amassing 54 yards passing and 113 yards rushing with 4 touchdowns on the ground. Near the end of the 2008 season, Newton was arrested and charged with stealing another student’s laptop. By the time Floria had gone to play Oklahoma in the national championship, Newton had left the team and the school.

THE JUCO PLAYER

Cam would transfer to Blinn Community College in Texas. While there, he would lead Blinn to an undefeated championship season, and solidify his status as one of the premier quarterbacks in college football. I mean, look at these highlights!

THE RECRUIT (pt. 2)

Cam would once again be a premier recruit in the 2010 class, ranking as the #3 JUCO recruit in the country. His recruitment out of JUCO is the stuff of legends, as it ultimately came down to Auburn and Mississippi State, then being led by Newton’s former OC Dan Mullen. What did or did not happen during his recruitment, and whether six-figure sums of money were ever requested or changed hands, may never be exactly known. But we’ll get back to this more later. Newton did commit to the Tigers, and that’s all you need to know for now.

THE AUBURN PLAYER

The quarterback job for the Auburn Tigers was wide open after Chris Todd set several Auburn passing records in his senior season in 2009. The offseason competition included Newton, previously discussed Neil Caudle in his senior year, and Barrett Trotter in his third season on the Plains. All three quarterbacks were given time with the ones in spring and during A-Day, but at the end of spring practice, Cam Newton was named the starter.

Nobody expected what was to come in the fall of 2010. To keep this from being a novel on the year that changed Auburn football forever, I’m just going to list Cam’s stats then let a few highlights do the talking.

Y’all, the man even punted.

Props to a great highlight video by Youtuber Wilvin by the way.

Cam Newton changed Auburn forever. He’s one of three men to win a Heisman at Auburn. He’s one of two to quarterback the Tigers to a national title. He’s the reason we all still yell “War Eagle” during “All I Do Is Win”. And he’s the best ambassador for the University this side of Charles Barkley.

THE CAROLINA PANTHERS PLAYER

As an almost epilogue to leading Auburn to its best season of all time, Cam has had an incredible NFL career. He threw for over 400 yards in his first NFL game, an NFL record. He won an MVP in 2015 while leading the Panthers to the Super Bowl. He owns nearly every QB rushing record, including most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback all-time. Cam will have a case to be an NFL Hall-of-Famer if her can just keep playing injury-free, though that hasn’t always been easy for him. Regardless, he will always be every Auburn fans favorite NFL player, and is part of the reason so many Auburn fans have become Panthers fans over the last decade.

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It’s hard to follow an all-time great in a list like this, but the next man up at least has something under his belt - he may be the fastest player in Auburn history. Check back this afternoon to see who #86 is in the top 100 recruits of Auburn-time*.

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2019/6/10/18657843/belated-87-days-to-kickoff-cameron-jerrell-newton-auburn-tigers