Cam Newton's lone season at Auburn is on the short list of the greatest college football seasons ever, as the Tigers' do-it-all quarterback threw for 30 touchdowns, rushed for 20 and even had a touchdown reception. He led the team in passing and rushing, averaging 10.2 yards per pass attempt and 5.6 yards per rush attempt.
When you throw in his Heisman Trophy and national championship, you can see why Newton's final college season was so special.
Here's everything you need to know about Newton's college career.
The vitals on Cam Newton
School: Auburn
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6-5
Weight: 245 pounds
Years active: 2007-10
Here are Cam Newton's career stats in college. Scroll to the right to view the complete stats.
| Year | games | completions | attempts | comp. % | Yards | Y/A | TD | int | rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 50.0 | 40 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 83.6 |
| 2008 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 50.0 | 14 | 7.0 | 0 | 0 | 108.8 |
| 2010 | 14 | 185 | 280 | 66.1 | 2,854 | 10.2 | 30 | 7 | 182.0 |
| Career | 20 | 191 | 292 | 65.4 | 2,908 | 10.0 | 30 | 7 | 178.2 |
Where did Cam Newton go to college?
Cam Newton's college career started at Florida, where he played for two seasons before going to Blinn College and then Auburn. He chose Auburn over Mississippi State and Oklahoma.
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Legends: Tom Brady | Jackie Robinson | Deion Sanders | Cam Newton
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What kind of prospect was Cam Newton in high school?
Newton was the No. 26 prospect in the 2007 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
CFP: History of teams, records of the College Football Playoff
Records set by Cam Newton
- One of eight players in FBS history who scored 20 touchdowns by rushing/receiving and passing for 20 touchdowns: 30 passing, 20 rushing, 1 receiving (2010)
- Responsible for one of 35 seasons in FBS history with 2,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing: 2,854 passing yards, 1,473 rushing yards (2010)
- Longest pass completion in Auburn history: 94 yards to Emory Blake vs. UL Monroe, Oct. 2, 2010
- 1st in Auburn history in passing yards in a season: 30 touchdowns
- 1st in Auburn history in career completion percentage (min. 150 attempts): .661
- 2nd in Auburn history in rushing touchdowns in a season: 20 touchdowns
- 3rd in Auburn history in passing yards in a season: 2,854 yards
- 5th in Auburn history in rushing yards in a season: 1,473 yards
- 5th in completion percentage in a season (min. 100 attempts): .661
- 6th in Auburn history in touchdowns responsible for in a career (rushing/passing): 50 touchdowns
- 9th in Auburn history in passing touchdowns in a career: 30 touchdowns
- 9th in completions in a season: 185 completions
- 10th in FBS history in rushing yards by a quarterback: 1,473 rushing yards (2010)
- 10th in Auburn history in total offense in a career: 4,327 yards
- 14th in FBS history in single-season passing efficiency: 182.1
- 31st in Auburn history in career rushing yards: 1,473 yards
CHAMPS: Complete national championship history for the FBS
What were some of Cam Newton's best games in college?
Basically every game Cam Newton played in an Auburn uniform is worthy of being called one of his best games. In his debut with the Tigers, he completed 9-of-14 passes for 186 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions against Arkansas State while running for 171 yards and two touchdowns on just 15 attempts.
He threw for at least 200 yards eight times in 14 games, including a career-best 335 yards and four touchdowns against South Carolina in the SEC Championship Game, while also rushing for 73 yards and two scores. Newton passed for multiple touchdowns in 11 games, including four against Chattanooga and the Gamecocks. He had seven games with multiple rushing touchdowns, including four against Kentucky, when he threw for 210 yards and rushed for 198.
In four games during the 2010 season, Newton threw for multiple touchdowns and ran for multiple touchdowns in the same game.
In Auburn's first game against South Carolina, Newton completed 16-of-21 attempts for 158 yards and two touchdowns, plus he ran for 176 yards and three scores. He was an efficient 12-of-15 passing against Georgia for 148 yards and two touchdowns, plus 151 rushing yards and two more touchdowns.
Newton threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns against Oregon in the BCS National Championship Game, while also running for 64 yards
What awards did Cam Newton win in college?
- 2010 Heisman Trophy winner
- 2010 Maxwell Award winner
- 2010 Walter Camp Award winner
- 2010 Davey O'Brien Award winner
- 2010 AP College Football Player of the Year
- 2010 Sporting News Player of the Year
- 2010 consensus All-American
- 2010 First Team All-SEC
What did people say about Cam Newton?
- Jay Tate of The Montgomery Advertiser (Sept. 2010): "He came into the game as an unknown despite being on campus for eight months. The junior-college transfer demonstrated his worthy during the first half, though, making several accurate throws beyond 35 yards and freelancing for rushing yards with ease. Newton also turned some chaotic plays into modest gains by juking defenders. Is it early enough to deem Newton a success? That's a reasonable conclusion. Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn covets quarterbacks with Newton's diverse skill set and it's clear, based on this single game, that Newton has made progress toward turning his skills into a consistent advantage. He may not be great every game, but Newton is exactly what Auburn wanted."
- Cam Newton (Sept. 2010): "I went deaf for a second. I just loved it and I think it was a kickoff for us mentally to know it's time."
- Former Arkansas State coach Steve Roberts (Sept. 2010): "I don't know if I have seen an individual performance better than Cam Newton's. He is the best player I have ever seen live. He made a huge difference in the ball game tonight — he is hard to bring down."
- Former Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen (Sept. 2010): "You're gonna go play a Cam Newton who can improvise on his own and can really extend plays and make things happen on his own when it break down. Then everybody has to really stay in their coverage lanes longer. They have to continue to run at the ball and play to the whistle when you have a guy who brings that extra dimension of being able to improvise and create on his own."
- Jay Tate of The Montgomery Advertiser (Sept. 2010): "He flummoxed Mississippi State with his legs Thursday night. Newton, who weighs 245 pounds, emerged as the Tigers' most important rushing threat. Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn had no reservations about sending his operational lynchpin into the middle of MSU's defense and letting him inflict damage."
- The Montgomery Advertiser (Sept. 2010): "For whatever flaws Newton might have — and believe it or not, he does have a few — he's the most dangerous offensive player in the SEC."
- Mark Edwards of The Anniston Star (Oct. 2010): "Nobody seems to enjoy Tiger Walk more than Cam Newton. Nobody seems to enjoy running on the field more than Cam Newton. Nobody seems to enjoy playing football, scoring touchdowns, sitting on the sidelines, not sitting on the sidelines, wearing a football uniform or his college days at Auburn more than Cam Newton. It's not easy to find a picture of Newton, the Tigers' large and in charge quarterback, when he's not in action and not smiling. So often he has this look on his face that appears to say, 'Man, I can't believe I have it this good.'"
- Cam Newton (Oct. 2010): "The Heisman? You can throw that out in the window. The (Tim) Tebow comparisons? I'll take that any day. Tim Tebow is Tim Tebow and I'm just Cam Newton."
- Brad Zimanek of The Montgomery Advertiser (Oct. 2010): "Did Cam Newton run more during the game or after it? Newton, Auburn's star quarterback and now Heisman Trophy candidate, kept the Tigers unbeaten while running for a career-high 217 yards Saturday in a 24-17 win over LSU at Jordan-Hare Stadium. His winding, fast and physical 49-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave No. 5 Auburn (8-0, 5-0 in the Southeastern Conference) a 17-10 lead which Newton said was in 'his job description to make.'"
- Paul Newberry of The Associated Press (Nov. 2010): "Newton passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more to lead No. 2 Auburn into the Southeastern Conference championship game — and another step closer to playing for the national title."
- Joe Medley of The Anniston Star (Dec. 2010): "Cam Newton got a shoulder ride from teammates Byron Isom and Mike Berry on Saturday. Then Newton took off running across the Georgia Dome turf to the grandstand wall, slapping Auburn fans' hands from one end of the Tigers' main cheering section to the other and back again. Auburn's quarterback and likely third Heisman Trophy winner soaked in being announced as the SEC Championship's most valuable player to a roar from the Auburn fans, who made up about 60 percent of the game's announced crowd of 75,802."
- Charles Bennett of The Anniston Star (Jan. 2011): "It's been a 53-year wait, but once again Auburn Tigers and national champions belong in the same sentence."
