Cam Newton calls out Auburn's 'egregious' QB play, blasts Bo Nix

Since Cam Newton won the Heisman Trophy in 2010, Auburn has seen some struggles at quarterback. The Tigers have seen quarterbacks such as Jarrett Stidham, Bo Nix, Robby Ashford and Payton Thorne come through in recent years, but have hope for the future after signing Deuce Knight.

Still, as he evaluated the quarterback play on The Plains over the years, Newton doesn’t see anywhere to go but up. He also called out Nix’s time with Auburn before he transferred to Oregon.

Nix had an up-and-down go in three years with the Tigers, but still ranks third on the program’s all-time passing yards list. He then shined at Oregon before going No. 10 overall in the NFL Draft, finding quick success with the Denver Broncos. But Newton noted Nix’s struggles at Auburn – and how he proved he wasn’t necessarily the problem – as he summed up the recent run of quarterbacks.

“The quarterback play over the years at Auburn has been egregious,” Newton said on his 4th & 1 podcast. “It’s been satanic. It has been something that I can’t even watch a game. And that’s a shot at all players who’ve played and coaches who’ve allowed them to play.

“And you would say, ‘Well, didn’t Bo Nix play at Auburn?’ Yes, and he was ass. He knows he was ass. There was times when Bo was like, ‘Oh, shit, we got us one.’ And then there was times like, ‘Man, what the f*** bro?’ And then, he goes to Oregon and it’s like, oh, shit, was it Auburn? Or was it the coaching? It damn sure wasn’t Bo because you’re still seeing him ball in Denver.”

Nix threw for 7,250 yards and 39 touchdowns during his three years at Auburn – two of which came under Bryan Harsin. But in two years at Oregon, he flourished under Kenny Dillingham and Will Stein, totaling 8,101 yards and 74 touchdowns to punch a ticket to the Heisman Trophy ceremony in 2023.

As for what happened next at Auburn, the Tigers turned to Ashford before moving on from Harsin. After Hugh Freeze came in, they brought in Thorne, who also struggled. Now, they’ll hope to flip the script after landing Knight – a five-star prospect and the No. 27 overall player from the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.