Cam Newton is simply different — just ask his college mentor, current Auburn coach Gus Malzahn.
Newton, whose Carolina Panthers are 14-0 after his 340 passing yards, 100 rushing yards and five touchdown passes powered a 38-35 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday, has never done things the typical way. His road to stardom and NFL MVP favorite status was like one of his broken-field runs — going through and around obstacles at every turn.
Malzahn said Newton wasn't the focus of interest when an Auburn running backs coach visited Blinn College in 2009. The coach was checking out a wide receiver and happened to be in the right place when he was awestruck by Newton, who wasn’t exactly unknown after he was suspended from the University of Florida program after getting caught with a stolen laptop.
In his one year at Blinn, Newton threw for 2,833 yards with 22 touchdowns and rushed for 655 yards. He led his team to the 2009 NJCAA National Football Championship and became one of the hottest junior college quarterback prospects in the nation.
“So I went ahead and flew down and met with him, got to know him, watched his highlight tape and just started recruiting him,” Malzahn, who was the Tigers’ offensive coordinator at the time, told FOX Sports. “I think I interviewed him for about a month; it wasn't a long process. So, he's a big guy that's athletic who could throw and run, and he fit our offense very well."
A match made in heaven.
In 2010, Newton and Malzahn formed one of the most dynamic pairings in college football. An undefeated run led the Tigers to a national title with a win over Oregon. Newton scored 50 touchdowns (30 passing, 20 rushing), with 2,854 passing yards and 1,473 rushing yards. He won the 2010 Heisman Trophy and was on his way to the NFL, foregoing his senior season at Auburn.
Living up to the hype
Though it seemed likely for a while that Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck would wind up being the top pick in the 2011 draft by the Panthers, he instead chose to remain in school for another season. So Carolina got its man in Newton, and it's safe to say the Panthers are probably more than fine with how things played out.
When Newton arrived in Carolina, it was obvious that his physical attributes were downright scary, but it seems that the mental aspect of his game has become just as impressive. According to Malzahn, though, Newton was advanced in that area all along.
"Well, what'd he do as a rookie? Didn't he throw for more yards as a rookie than any player in the history of the league?” Malzahn asked. “So, I think he was probably already ready then. It was just a matter of experience at that level. But for him to do what he did in his rookie year was unbelievable, and I think the team has grown with him if you look, and they're pretty impressive right now."
Newton indeed surpassed Peyton Manning's rookie record of 3,739 passing yards in a season, topping out at 4,051 for a 6-10 team. He hasn’t matched that number since, but he has led the Panthers to three consecutive playoff berths (2013-15) and has them on the current unbelievable unbeaten run.
Another undefeated season?
The pressure of an undefeated season wears on every player more each week but no one more than a quarterback and leader. Newton — having done it before (Auburn 2010, with equal measures of joy and determination both times — seems to take it in stride.
"Oh yeah, there's no doubt. Because the pressure in 2010, it mounted every game," Malzahn said. "He was the guy that led us, kept us together, he was our team leader, not just our offensive leader. He just willed us to win. It was really impressive to watch and be a part of."
Newton's focus through adversity has been a guide for the Panthers.
The current winning streak makes it easy to forget what happened to the Panthers before the season, when most folks wrote off Carolina after standout wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin suffered a torn ACL in training camp.
But Newton's ability to overcome any type of adversity can't be understated. A prime example was Carolina's 41-38 victory in Week 13 at the New Orleans Saints. With Carolina down 16-13 at halftime, Newton threw four second-half touchdown passes, including two in the fourth quarter that answered Saints scores.
Was that leadership quality something Newton always possessed?
"Yeah, it was there when he got here (to Auburn),” Malzahn said. “He's got the 'it' factor. In 2010, we played Arkansas in a scorefest, and he just kept doing it. And when you look at the run after that, it was amazing to watch him."
More than a great player
What Newton has done on the field is incredible, but what he does off it is equally special. Newton’s football giveaways after scoring touchdowns are attention-grabbers, and his charm and generous heart are rubbing off on not only those in Charlotte, NC, but fans everywhere.
"Oh, no doubt, I'm very proud of him, he's using his influence in a positive way," Malzahn said. "He cares about people. He truly cares about people, specifically young people, that's who he is. I'm real proud of him. What you see is what you get with him."
Malzahn believes those “Sunday giveaways” are just a glimpse of what he expects to see from Newton in the future.
"Every time that you saw him around young kids, his eyes would light up," Malzahn said. "You know, his goal once he gets done with football is to run a nursery; he loves young kids, and young kids love him."
Jeff Smith writes about the NFL for FOX Sports. You can find him on Twitter @JSM8ith.
