SEC Football history: 50 best players of all time

6. Best SEC football players of all time: Cam Newton, Auburn football

While Cam Newton may have only played only one meaningful season in the SEC, he did come away with two national titles with two different SEC teams. In his second season with the Gators program, Newton was a part of Florida’s 2008 national championship team, though he only completed one pass, and ended up getting in trouble at the school, leading to him playing at Blinn College.

However, he would make a miraculous return to SEC Football, joining the Auburn Tigers for the 2010 college football season, and putting together one of the greatest seasons in SEC and NCAA history. In his first game as the starting quarterback for Auburn, Newton put himself right on the map, passing for 186 yards, rushing for 171 yards, and racking up five touchdowns.

Later on, in the season, the dynamic playmaker set the SEC rushing record for a quarterback against LSU, becoming only the second SEC quarterback to rush for over 1,000 yards. Later on, he became the first quarterback in conference history to throw for 2,000 yards, and rush for 1,000 yards, beating any team that came in his way. In an incredible Iron Bowl matchup with Alabama, he erased a 24-0 deficit, scored four touchdowns, and beat Alabama by the score of 28-27.

Newton would go on to be the Most Valuable Player of the SEC Championship Game, collecting six touchdowns, before leading his team to a BCS national title game win over the Oregon Ducks. For his efforts, he became the third Auburn Tiger to win the Heisman, as he was named AP Player of the Year, won nearly every award imaginable, and would go on to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.