Cam Newton has no interest in seeing Auburn turn his No. 2 into a hand-me-down. That stance might sound stubborn until you remember what he did in that jersey. And with former LSU QB Jayden Daniels recently pushing back after his old No. 5 was handed to another player, it makes his position even more interesting.
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Cam Newton was asked about the possibility on Ringer Tailgate, with Van Lathan giving him the wildest version of the hypothetical. Imagine a future Auburn QB putting up video-game numbers and wanting No. 2. The former Tiger’s answer was immediate.
“Michael Flowerson, respectfully, P-H-U-C-K-N-O, exclamation point,” he answered.
That’s a classic Cam Newton response, but the reasoning behind it is understandable. He said a player good enough to produce unmatched numbers should want to build his own identity rather than inherit somebody else’s.
“It’s because with those measurables, when it’s all said and done for you, you will want your number cemented,” he said. “You want your own legacy.”
Auburn has already made No. 2 permanent in a way that goes beyond nostalgia. The school retired Cam Newton’s jersey, making him just the fourth Auburn football player to receive that honor. His No. 2 now sits alongside the retired numbers of Pat Sullivan, Bo Jackson, and Terry Beasley.
And Cam Newton gave Auburn plenty of reasons to lock it away. He threw for 2,854 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2010, then ran for another 1,473 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also caught a touchdown pass. Auburn went 14-0, won the SEC, and the national championship. He collected the Heisman along with a stack of major national awards. So, in his mind, what exactly is left to prove?
“I grand slam,” he said. “I won a national championship. I won the Heisman trophy. I won every single award that a person could win. Why would you want that to be the comparison?”
That is where Cam Newton differs from a program such as the Dallas Cowboys, where No. 88 has become a tradition rather than a permanently locked number. Drew Pearson, Michael Irvin, Dez Bryant, and CeeDee Lamb have all carried it, turning No. 88 into one of the franchise’s signature traditions. While he understands that idea, he just doesn’t want it for himself.
“I think Michael Irvin’s mentality of his number is super dope,” he said, pointing to the Cowboys’ tradition. “They’re creating a tradition similar to LSU where you just pass it to the ‘guy.’ You can’t wear that number and not be the ‘guy.’ I feel different.”
The LSU situation is different. Jayden Daniels’ No. 5 was not retired. Still, his representative sent the school a cease-and-desist letter earlier in August after sophomore CB DJ Pickett took the number, which was promised to him during his recruitment. LSU was also informed that the school can no longer use Daniels’ name, image, and likeness.
The controversy spilled beyond the jersey itself when Daniels was booed after appearing in an LSU video featuring former Tigers now playing in the NFL.
That leaves two very different approaches to jersey numbers. Some programs treat them as living traditions. Others believe certain numbers should belong to the player who made them matter. Cam Newton clearly knows which side he is on. For No. 2, the door appears firmly shut.