Cam Newton explains how he, Johnny Manziel were 'the heads of underdogs' in college

In the early 2010s, both Cam Newton and Johnny Manziel would become legends in college football, winning the Heisman Trophy at Auburn and Texas A&M, respectively. Amid all of that success, Newton now looks back on that time as the pair being the heads of the underdogs in college.

That status has to do with where they both went to school. While both SEC quarterbacks, they went to schools often overshadowed by other teams in their own states. So, as Newton explained to Manziel on Glory Daze, what they did became more special and memorable in a way.

“I think this is what you’re not mentioning,” Cam Newton said. “When you think about Texas A&M and you think about Texas, who’s the superior team? [Texas]. Right? When you think about Auburn and you think about Alabama, who’s the superior team? [Alabama]. We were the heads of the underdogs.”

Some fans will describe schools in a rivalry as being a big brother and a little brother. Often, the big brother in that scenario has a more successful history and more resources. So, going to that better school, at least in Newton’s mind, makes winning there less important and impressive.

“A&M is never supposed to beat Texas. Auburn is never supposed to beat Alabama. But when you give the forgotten sons or the step-children the power now, it’s like, ‘Oh my goodness.’ That type of passion is different. I’m not trying to nuke nobody’s power. Going to Georgia, going to Alabama, going to USC, it’s just like, ‘Okay, yeah. This is what we do.’ But it’s almost like UCLA, a star comes from UCLA to take LA over, man, what does that look like? You know what I’m saying? That is where I have a different amount of respect,” Newton said.

“Because you did what you weren’t supposed to do at a high level. It takes focus, it takes courage, and it takes a whole bunch of steel nuts to walk and be like, ‘Bro, I’m just better than you.’ Humbly, though. But you’ve got to have that mentality walking into games.”

Johnny Manziel, due to conference realignment, never got the chance to play Texas. He did, however, get to have an iconic win over Alabama. Cam Newton, similarly, got his iconic win against Alabama in the Iron Bowl. His would be called the Camback and was a major step on the way to a national championship.

“At that time, too, when I was watching you play,” Newton said. “Not a lot of quarterbacks went into Alabama and were successful. That was your Heisman moment. You knew it. After we won in 2010, that was my national championship. I don’t know how it made you feel, but no other team was going to ever compare to that. Number one, the environment, the hostility, and the amount of high frequency football chess that was being played. You weren’t playing against a bunch of meatheads that were just gonna hit you hard. Yeah, they were gonna scheme you up too, and still winning was something that was remarkable.”

Both Cam Newton and Johnny Manziel would move on to the NFL with varying levels of success. Now, they’re both out of playing professionally and moving into media roles. However, their legendary college careers remain key parts of their legacy.