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Cam Newton is one of the greatest college football players ever. What he did during his one season at Auburn was the stuff of legends: 30 touchdowns passing, 20 touchdowns rushing, the Heisman Trophy, and the BCS National Championship.
That’s right. He only played one season at Auburn before entering the NFL Draft. Many college football fans don’t realize that.
In fact, Cam Newton spent more time on the campus of the University of Florida (two years) than he did at Auburn. (He also played one season at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas, where he helped lead the Buccaneers to the 2009 NJCAA National Football Championship.)
For two of the seasons covered in the Netflix documentary Swamp Kings, 2007 and 2008, Newton was coached by Urban Meyer and played alongside Tim Tebow, Brandon Spikes, Major Wright, Percy Harvin and others featured in the docuseries.
Unfortunately, after backing up Tim Tebow for one season, Cam Newton was arrested on felony charges of burglary, larceny, and obstruction of justice and suspended from the team.
Following that and three alleged instances of academic cheating he was facing potential expulsion, so he transferred to the junior college in Texas.
Still, Newton had a front row seat for two years as the Gators won their second national championship in three years under Urban Meyer.
And he has a problem with the way former Gators quarterback Chris Leak was portrayed in Swamp Kings.
“Some of the things I did not like about the documentary was how they played Chris Leak, in my opinion,” Newton said in a recent TikTok video.
“I was watching it like, they said things like, ‘We were just one quarterback away.’ Like, bro. Chris Leak was that motherf*****. Let’s not forget how pretty of a ball he threw. Started as a freshman in the SEC from Independence High School out of Charlotte. Like, what are we talking about?
“Granted, Tebow was everything, and some, but bruh. Let’s not try to dim the lights of Chris Leak.”
@cameron1newton #stitch with @Jack Mac #untold #swampkings #floridagators ♬ original sound – Cam Newton
He’s not wrong.
Chris Leak was the Gators starting quarterback, breaking many school passing records, the year Urban Meyer won his first natty.
In fact, Leak won the offensive Most Valuable Player award in that BCS championship game.
While he did not go on to have any success in the NFL, he went undrafted, Newton is right that it wasn’t like the Gators didn’t have a quality quarterback before Tim Tebow arrived.