50 greatest SEC football players this century, ranked
By Nick Villano
Best SEC football players this century – 4. Cam Newton, Auburn, Quarterback (2010)
Cam Newton is the only player on this list to attend two SEC schools during his time in college. He started his career as the future quarterback of the Florida Gators. His time with the Gators was tumultuous but his time with Auburn was legendary.
He eventually went to Blinn College to play in Juco. It was a good move for him to take back control of the situation and his talent led him to Auburn. He immediately became the starter in 2010. It was clear from the first game that he was one of the best dual threats in college football.
A 37-34 win over Kentucky saw Newton rush for four touchdowns and pass for 210 yards. It was early October, but Newton was starting to get some Heisman buzz. He broke 1,000 yards rushing on October 23rd against LSU. He was eight games into the season at this point. For the rest of the season, as it became more clear that Auburn was a candidate to win the BCS Championship, the Tigers elected to pass more and they ran Newton less. He only broke 100 yards one other time for the rest of the season, doing it against Georgia on November 13th.
Against Alabama in the annual Iron Bowl, the only Iron Bowl of Newton’s college career, he threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns. The Tigers went down 24-0 in that game, but Newton led a furious comeback and won the game, solidifying his team’s spot at the top of the SEC. He finished it off with a dominant performance against South Carolina to clinch the SEC Championship. In the BCS Championship against Oregon, Newton led a game-winning drive at the end of the game. Newton would go on to win a ton of awards for his performance, including the Heisman and All-American honors.