Gus Malzahn knew he had a good quarterback in Cam Newton as the 2010 season started. The transfer from Blinn College had come to the Plains and showed why he was so highly hyped out of high school, signing with Florida before a detour to the Texas junior college.
It wasn't until the fourth game of the season, a matchup against South Carolina in Jordan-Hare Stadium, that Malzahn realized how special Newton was.
"You could tell the first few games that he definitely had something different to him," Malzahn told me via phone this week. "But probably the South Carolina game was the first time when he took off in that eight-yard line or nine-yard line, dove into the end zone, you kind of went, 'Oh wow.'"
The eventual Heisman Trophy winner would continue to make plays like that all the way to the national title game, when Auburn defeated Oregon 22-19.
If you close your eyes, you can see him dashing in and out of would-be LSU tacklers before outsprinting Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu for a highlight-reel touchdown.
The moment wasn't lost on Malzahn, who was Auburn's offensive coordinator at the time.
"Over the headset, I said, 'Man, he just won the Heisman Trophy,'" the coach said.
Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz was a quality control coach under Gene Chizik that season for Auburn. He recalls a moment three weeks later when Malzahn was concerned that his standout quarterback was fatigued. Newton then showed why he was considered Superman during his one year at Auburn.
"I remember in the fourth quarter vs. Arkansas, Coach Malzahn getting on the headset and saying, ‘Cam’s tired, we’re in trouble,’ and he wasn’t too tired to finish," Drinkwitz said. "I think we ended up scoring 62 that game."
Newton's biggest moment might have come not on the field, but in the locker room. With Auburn trailing archrival Alabama 24-7 at halftime and the Tigers' national title hopes in trouble, the quarterback showcased his leadership skills.
"One of my favorite moments was at halftime of the Iron Bowl," Malzahn said. "We were down 24-7, and he took over the locker room. I got credit for offensive adjustments and all that. It was all him. We didn't change what we were doing; we just changed our mindset and came out of the locker room. I think we scored (on) the second play of the second half. He came over and said, 'We're going to win the game. And you (are) just like, 'Yep, we are.' So that was really special."
It wasn't always easy for Newton that season, though. An investigation into whether Auburn was paying him to play for the Tigers was going on late in the season as he became the prohibitive favorite for the Heisman Trophy. Malzahn checked on his quarterback every day, making sure that the outside noise wasn't getting to the young man.
If Newton had any anger, he took it out on would-be tacklers.
"He didn't flinch, and I don't think there's very few that could do what he did going through that," Malzahn said. "And he uses motivation. He came out against Georgia, and he was mad... Very few could do that what he did."
On Saturday, Auburn will retire Newton's No. 2 jersey, signifying his massive role on a team that went all the way. Malzahn, currently the offensive coordinator at Florida State, will not be able to make it, but when asked what people should know about Newton, he doesn't hesitate.
"He's a wonderful person," he said. "He's got a great heart. You could just tell. I mean, he lights up around little kids, and then he loved coming back."
Drinkwitz echoed his mentor's sentiments.
"The first thing I tell people about Cam Newton is he was a transformational leader before I knew what that word was," the Mizzou coach said. "He was the best leader I’ve ever been around in a football locker room. He’s a guy that could command everybody, not just through holding people accountable, but also creating light moments and making sure people were enjoying practice and having fun."