What to know about Cam Newton's record-setting, Heisman-winning season with Auburn football

AUBURN — Cam Newton found unprecedented success in little time with Auburn football.

A former five-star quarterback recruit once poised to succeed Tim Tebow, Newton's career took a one-year detour to junior college after two seasons with Florida. Eventually, he returned to the SEC, joining the Tigers for the 2010 season.

What followed was nothing short of a spectacle. Newton put the country on notice through the air and on the ground, accounting for 50 touchdowns and 4,327 total yards — out-gaining 37 other FBS programs by his lonesome.

Auburn went undefeated for the ninth time in its history, winning a program-record 14 games and securing, at the time, its second-ever national championship. Naturally, with one of the best seasons in the sport's history in tow, Newton brought home the Heisman Trophy.

Newton's performance immortalized his status in the sport, and the program's history, but 15 years later, he'll receive a rare achievement, as the program will retire his jersey number at halftime of its game against No. 9 Georgia on Saturday, Oct. 11.

Ahead of the ceremony, here's five things to know about Newton's record-setting, Heisman-winning season with the Tigers.

Cam Newton's production with Auburn football was ground-breaking

College football's no stranger to dual-threat quarterbacks, but Newton set the bar for such a playing style.

In Auburn's eighth game, a win against LSU, Newton threw for just 86 yards but rushed for 217. It put him over 1,000 rushing yards for the season and made him the second quarterback in SEC history to rush for such a total.

By season's end, Newton became the first-ever college quarterback to average at least 200 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in a single season.

Cam Newton shined despite ongoing NCAA investigation

According to a report from ESPN, the NCAA notified Auburn of an investigation into suspected improper recruitment involving Newton's father, Cecil Newton on Oct. 5, 2009. Cam Newton remained active for the Tigers throughout the entire 2010 season, but the story became public that November.

Eventually, on Nov. 29, 2010, the NCAA concluded a violation had been committed by Cecil Newton and Kenny Rogers, a former Mississippi State player who claimed to represent the younger Newton in his junior college recruitment.

The next day, in accordance with NCAA bylaws, Auburn declared its quarterback ineligible while requesting his eligibility be reinstated, in part on the basis he wasn't aware of Rogers or his father's doings. The NCAA reinstated Cam Newton the following day, on Dec. 1, making him eligible for the SEC championship game against South Carolina three days later, on Dec. 4.

In three games that November, Newton still generated a fifth of his total yardage that fall and scored 13 touchdowns. That included perhaps Auburn's most theatric victory that season, a 28-27 win over then-No. 9 Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

The Tigers erased a 24-point deficit behind four Newton touchdowns. That Iron Bowl later secured the moniker of "The Camback."

The 'Camback' wasn't Auburn football's only comeback performance with Newton

While the 2010 Iron Bowl was one of Newton's biggest Auburn wins, it wasn't the only time the Tigers had to erase a deficit.

Six of Auburn's victories that fall saw it erase a deficit, including its national championship win against Oregon.

Cam Newton won 2010 Heisman Trophy in landslide fashion

Newton beat Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck and Oregon running back LaMichael James for that year's Heisman Trophy, with 729 first-place votes and 81.5% of the voting point total.

At the time, Newton's first-place vote total and percent of the total vote were both fifth most in the award's history, and he was the first Heisman winner since 1998 to land at least 700 first-place votes.

Currently, Newton's eighth all-time in first-place Heisman votes and ninth in total voting percentage.

How Cam Newtown's legacy has endured with Auburn football

Newton's jersey number retirement will only further his legacy at Auburn, but he's also one of seven former Tigers to have a statue on campus.

The record books still have Newton at or near the top, too. He holds the program's single-season passing touchdowns record, and he's top five in single-season passing yards, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.

Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at [email protected] or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.To support Adam's work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: 5 things to know about Cam Newton's 2010 season with Auburn football