There are moments in college football that mean more than the game score, the highlights, and the drowning cheers of the stadium. At Auburn, that moment made more noise than a red-zone touchdown. Cam Newton visited the Tigers’ den recently, and he had an unthinkable move in his store for the Tigers. You know, you have made it when your jersey is retired. It’s one of the highest honors to be bestowed on the players. One that keeps their legacy and contributions alive on the field, stitching it to the very fabric from which young talents would emerge. Newton’s No. 2 jersey will soon be retired on October 11 to honor his achievements.

Reeling back to his Auburn days, the pro star got teary-eyed and sent across an emotional message for the Tigers’ Faithful. “I mean, gratitude, that’s not a word for, you know, the real feeling. appreciation. I just am reminded what Auburn gave me, and that’s an opportunity,” Cam Newton said. He wasn’t just the quarterback who tore through the defenses in 2010, but rather an NFL star who had made his mark in the pro league. His honest confession was a delight to the Tigers’ faithful.

Newton went on, his voice brimming with emotion. “And what came from it was what you know, people kind of observed. There was things that was done …during that year, and throughout that year…that it was just the blessings of God man. And I’m just so grateful to have that and a university to back me and my family, you know, through a very tumultuous time in our lives. But yet at the end of the day, I’m grateful.”

Cam Newton was a beast in the trenches. His celebrated 2010 season cemented his legacy forever in the program’s history. One, which is talked about profusely in the locker room discussions. His comeback in the Iron Bowl against Alabama has become a living legend. Mind you! In 2010, the legendary Nick Saban was steering the Crimson Tide. The Tigers were at the bottom of the trenches, figuratively and literally. A 24-0 score was pressing hard on them, but then Cam Newton pushed back with his redemption arc, which would later go down in history as one of the biggest comebacks in college footbal – with some calling it the ‘Camback’. He threw three touchdowns and rushed for another, tallying up the scoreboard, painting it with the Blue and Orange, stealing the victory, with 28-27.

Then came the SEC Championship against South Carolina, where he chipped in six touchdowns, culminating in a 56-17 win. What followed next was Auburn registering its name in the first national championship game since 1957, as they beat the Ducks, 22-19. That very year, he won the Heisman Trophy.

But it’s not Cam Newton’s presence on the turf that makes his 2010 season stitched to the Auburn fabric. It’s rather the concerns surrounding the uncertainty of his presence on the turf before the Iron Bowl. An eligibility inquiry had been ongoing back then, casting doubts on his participation. Saban even went on to say, “It would be bad for college football that such a great player, who has an opportunity to do some significant things individually and collectively for his team, you know, not to be able to play,” Saban said per AL.com.

Auburn Tigers retire Cam Newton’s No. 2 Jersey

The Tigers will retire Cam Newton’s jersey on October 11 at Jordan-Hare Stadium, along with Pat Sullivan, Bo Jackson, and Terry Beasley. “Auburn will always be home to me,” Newton said per the Auburn Tigers. “The national championship we won in 2010 was a special moment, and to have my jersey retired alongside legends like Pat Sullivan, Bo Jackson, and Terry Beasley is an incredible honor that I’ll cherish forever. War Eagle!”

In the 2010 season, he threw for 2,854 yards and 30 touchdowns, while rushing for 1,473 yards and 20 touchdowns, etching another record. He became the first person in SEC history to pass for more than 2,000 yards and rush for more than 1,000 yards in a single season. And the former Tigers star QB had his share of accolades in his stash. A consensus All-American, he won the Walter Camp Award, the Manning, and the Davey O’Brien honors, among others.

Cam Newton went on the have a terrific 11-year NFL career and was the NFL offensive Rookie of the Year in 2011. Not to forget his Most Valuable Player honor in 2015, as he led the Carolina Panthers to Super Bowl 50.