Caylin Newton trying to find a role

[aubiefifty 18,231]

1. Auburn Football

Caylin Newton made a name at Howard. Now he’s trying to find a role at Auburn

Posted Aug 20, 7:10 AM

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

Caylin Newton was 11 years old when his brother reigned supreme over the college football world.

When Cam Newton walked off the field at the Georgia Dome in 2010 after leading Auburn to an SEC title over South Carolina — nine days away from a Heisman coronation and about a month away from hoisting the crystal BCS national championship trophy — Caylin Newton walked by his side, a navy-blue version of his big brother’s No. 2 Auburn jersey draped over his frame, a backward Auburn cap sitting atop his head and an Aubie the Tiger tail dangling from the back of his baggy jeans. As Caylin Newton accompanied his brother back to Auburn’s locker room, he walked in the shadow of a college football giant he knew as family.

For years, the younger Newton tried to escape big brother’s shadow. He wanted to be more than “Cam’s little brother,” and he wanted to pave his own football path. He did that at Howard, where he helped put a struggling HBCU program on the map while racking up individual accolades and achievements. But after two-plus seasons with the Bison, including a coaching change entering his junior year, Caylin Newton decided last October that it was time for a fresh start in search of a chance to compete for a championship. So, just a month into the season, he entered the transfer portal.

Fittingly enough, Caylin Newton believes he found that opportunity at the same place his brother led to the apex of the sport a decade earlier — Auburn, where he joined this summer as a preferred walk-on and grad transfer listed at wide receiver.

At Howard, Caylin Newton received top billing for a program that won just three total games in the two seasons prior to his arrival in 2017.

 

He led Howard to the biggest point-spread upset in college football history in his first career game -- a wild 43-40 win at UNLV that marked the first win vs. an FBS team in school history -- on the way to a 7-4 campaign that included MEAC Rookie of the Year honors. He led the FCS in yards per completion (18.3) and was fourth in yards per pass attempt (9.25) while throwing for 2,432 yards and 13 touchdowns that season. He rushed for another 753 yards and 12 scores as a freshman while finishing 11th in the FCS in total offense.

 

 

“Before, he was a young boy trying to make a name for himself and trying to get out of that shadow,” Brennan Marion, Newton’s former offensive coordinator at Howard and the current receivers coach at Hawaii, told AL.com. “Then he made a name for himself, and now he’s back in a place that’s familiar to him and familiar to his family. Obviously, Auburn changed the Newton family’s life, and now he’s there at a place and has the confidence to be himself; he doesn’t have to pretend he’s Cam or do any of those things. He can be Caylin, and people will respect him for being Caylin from his body of work that he’s made on his own.

“He went out on his own, and now he’s basically returning home. He’s shown he can do stuff on his own and without his brother, without being at a big-time program, and making it. Obviously, he made Howard look like it was a big-time program, being the poster boy there.”

 

The dual-threat quarterback followed it up by being named the MEAC Player of the Year as a sophomore, when he threw for 2,629 yards, rushed for 504 more and totaled 26 touchdowns while being named a finalist for the Black College Football Player of the Year.

 

“I don’t think people really grasp what we did there, because unless you were there, you don’t know how low the football program’s standard was there,” Marion said. “For him to win games and accomplish all that his first two years when I was there with him -- we had six offensive linemen and could barely practice each day because we didn’t have enough players. We went on air every practice, the majority of time, and you know, we were able to beat FBS teams and get close to beating them, playing them down to the wire.”

At Auburn, though, Caylin Newton enters not as the main attraction, but as an unestablished role player looking to earn his part in the Tigers’ offense any way that he can.

 

“The biggest thing is he knows he can do it,” Marion said. “He played with those kids in high school. A lot of the kids that are at Auburn and Alabama are from Georgia where he’s from. He’s played with those kids in the camps. His brother and his dad put him in the fire young with the 7-on-7 and traveling everywhere playing…. He has it. Everything it takes to be a great football player, he has it.”

 

When Caylin Newton left Howard, he had several programs reach out to him to recruit him and gauge interest. Charlotte expressed the most interest in having him play quarterback this year, while there were also some talks with Penn State about an opportunity there. For much of last fall and through the spring, though, Caylin Newton remained a college football free agent and bided his time by working out with his older brother — himself an NFL free agent at the time after being released by the Carolina Panthers in March — and honing his skills at wide receiver.

That’s when Gus Malzahn entered the picture and the two discussed a chance for Caylin Newton to settle in with the program he was more familiar with than any other.

 

Malzahn, who had a longstanding relationship with the Newton family after first recruiting Cam Newton to Auburn back in 2009 while serving as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator, offered the younger Newton a spot as a preferred walk-on wide receiver. Caylin Newton accepted and announced his decision in late May before arriving at Auburn this summer, where he quickly acclimated himself and impressed with his natural leadership, drive and athleticism during offseason workouts.

“He’s older, so he brings great experience, great knowledge and wisdom kind of as a leader to those that are younger than he is,” sophomore quarterback Bo Nix said. “So, he’s kind of like -- he’s done a great job of coming in and understanding the offense, and he’s learned it really quick. And obviously I think him playing quarterback is going to help him a whole lot, just with our offense and picking things up.

 

“So, he kind of has a quarterback mentality for everything, and I think that will help him moving forward. Caylin is extremely hard working, obviously he kind of came over here looking for a great opportunity. And I think he found one.”

 

Caylin Newton’s best opportunity will come at a new position for Auburn -- receiver. Marion believes he can fill a role similar to the ones held by Ryan Davis — the program’s all-time receptions leader — and Will Hastings, a former walk-on kicker-turned-NFL receiver, both of whom were shifty slot-type receivers who found success in Malzahn’s offense. Caylin Newton could also provide some veteran depth at quarterback, which will be more important than ever while trying to navigate a season in the midst of a pandemic, as well as provide the Tigers with another Wildcat option following the February departure of Boobee Whitlow, and as a potential return man on special teams.

“Well the thing about Caylin, you got to look at his career before he got here at Howard, what he did,” Malzahn said. “He was a record-setting quarterback at Howard and leading that team, what they did…. He’s got a lot of winner in him…. He has a lot of intangibles. He’s a really smart guy. He’s been a quarterback. He’s a leader. I think he’s going to have a chance to help us in a lot of different ways, and not just at wide receiver, but some other ways too.”

 

While Caylin Newton could become a Swiss Army Knife of sorts for Auburn this season if he can crack the two-deep depth chart, Marion is confident in what his former protégé can bring to the receiver position despite never really playing there before. Marion knows what it takes to excel as a receiver in Malzahn’s offense, too, as he set records at the position while playing for Malzahn at Tulsa from 2007-08 and then developed his Go-Go offense based on the same principles as Malzahn’s Hurry Up, No Huddle system.

 

In Caylin Newton, Marion sees a top-tier athlete who — if put in the right situation with talent around him — could have been a Russell Wilson-type quarterback at the FBS level but is so much more than that. There’s a reason he was able to run for 1,257 yards over his first two seasons at Howard. His pro-agility skills and quickness are among the best Marion has seen in his young coaching career. One play that comes to mind for Marion when discussing the then-quarterback and current receiver was in 2017 against South Carolina State, when Caylin Newton took off up the middle on a draw play and spun right through a would-be tackle attempt by Darius Leonard -- a second-round NFL Draft pick the following spring, the 2018 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and a two-time All-Pro linebacker.

 

The tangibles are there, but there’s another trait that stands out to Marion, though — toughness. Not many players could take the kind of beating Caylin Newton took at quarterback for Howard and pop back up each time unfazed and still smiling.

 

“I’d be hard-pressed to say he’s not tougher than every dude that they got out there,” Marion said. “… He’s a physical, violent kid, and then he’s very quick. He’s going to go at people and be aggressive in practice and show that he has that in him. I think that he’ll be — if he gets the opportunity, I think he’ll be dynamic and be tough. That’s the one thing I can really, I can stand on the table for him on that one. That dude is tougher than Superman’s belt buckle, you know what I mean? That man is tough.”

 

Caylin Newton has yet to take a snap at Auburn, and in the midst of an ongoing pandemic, who knows if he’ll get the chance to this fall. He has only participated in three full practices as a wide receiver, and his role is still to be determined, but according to Marion, the former standout FCS quarterback couldn’t be happier with his decision to finish his career in the same place his older brother capped off his own with an all-time great season.

 

Caylin Newton doesn’t have to chase his brother’s legend on the Plains. He is his own man, and he has the resume to prove it, but he’s ready to make the most of a fresh start in a familiar place and with an offense he knows all too well.

 

“We always said, ‘This offense changed your family’s life, and it’s going to change your life,’ when I first started coaching him,” Marion said. “I was like, just trust it. It obviously changed a lot for them — they won a Heisman Trophy and all that stuff, and he was a back-to-back All-American running similar stuff (at Howard), so I don’t think he has any lack of belief in what the offense can do for him. I think his biggest goal right now is just to get on the field and make an impact and show people he can make the transition to receiver and he can also make plays in the SEC.”

 

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

 

 

 

 

 

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[Cardin Drake 2,076]

I really hope to see him on the field., I'd love to see him be our wildcat QB and and get a lot of playing time at WR. 

 

[DAG 34,754]

I don’t think he will be our WC QB. The big guy from bowling green will fit that mold. However , if he can turn to our own hunter renfrow, I will be very happy. 

[Cardin Drake 2,076]

I kinda of agree with you; we tend to run the QB between the tackles on the wildcat in short yardage situations. .  I may not get my wish, but I'd love to see Newton run the zone read occasionally. The kid has some real running and throwing skills. Honestly, if Bo goes down, I'd like to see him have a shot at QB. It does not appear that the coaches are thinking that way, however.

[McLoofus 35,182]

If I'm not mistaken, you typically need your WC QB to be a guy that primarily plays another position, so that you don't have to substitute for it. I'm not sure if the new saban rule is going to change that, but that's why WC QBs are usually WRs or RBs. I don't know if we'd look to another pure QB for that role. I would think of that guy having more of a "Tebow package", but I don't know if Chad's ever done that and Gus flat refused to last year when we had the dream QB just for that purpose and several scenarios when it would have been strategically appropriate. 

[DAG 34,754]

16 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

If I'm not mistaken, you typically need your WC QB to be a guy that primarily plays another position, so that you don't have to substitute for it. I'm not sure if the new saban rule is going to change that, but that's why WC QBs are usually WRs or RBs. I don't know if we'd look to another pure QB for that role. I would think of that guy having more of a "Tebow package", but I don't know if Chad's ever done that and Gus flat refused to last year when we had the dream QB just for that purpose and several scenarios when it would have been strategically appropriate. 

Dang good point 

[Maverick.AU 13,291]

7 hours ago, DAG said:

I don’t think he will be our WC QB. The big guy from bowling green will fit that mold. However , if he can turn to our own hunter renfrow, I will be very happy. 

I agree with this, on Loy, I’d love to see him paired with Shaun in change of pace/wildcat. Dudes an athlete 

[auburn4ever 1,266]

I wonder if Grant or Caylin will see more playing time as Bo's backup.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 9,046]

I have alot of thoughts about Caylin's potential but the fact of the matter is the way the schedule is structured now, he's going to have pretty much zero opportunities to really get burn. Just not much margin of error to try new things. This is an issue that doesn't just apply to him either, alot of transfer guys are probably going to find themselves behind the 8 balls depending on how strong their depth chart was the prev season 

[Cardin Drake 2,076]

23 hours ago, McLoofus said:

If I'm not mistaken, you typically need your WC QB to be a guy that primarily plays another position, so that you don't have to substitute for it. I'm not sure if the new saban rule is going to change that, but that's why WC QBs are usually WRs or RBs. I don't know if we'd look to another pure QB for that role. I would think of that guy having more of a "Tebow package", but I don't know if Chad's ever done that and Gus flat refused to last year when we had the dream QB just for that purpose and several scenarios when it would have been strategically appropriate. 

This post makes a number of good points.  I can't quite figure out the Caylin situation.  In my dream scenario, he would be a starting WR, and teams would always have to worry about him lining up at QB and running the zone read. That does not seem likely-just not Gus.  And as Mcloofus pointed out, we didn't utilize Joey last year, and he easily could have played a much bigger role.  Also, it's going to be hard for Caylin to break into the WR rotation. He's certainly a good enough athlete to do so, but we have a lot of     talent there already. And it's a new position for him. It's going to take time, and he only has 2 years.

Caylin is not the ideal height for a QB, but he's about the same size as Davis, and we have no problem with Davis as a QB.  Caylin was an exceptional QB at Howard.   I don't think he would have had a problem going to a D1 school and getting a real shot at the starting role.  For Auburn, he may not have had a real shot at a starting role, but hey, injuries happen. And we do need a reliable backup. Caylin seems to hit all the checkmarks there much more so than anybody else on the roster.  I guess this is the long way of saying I don't understand why he's not at QB instead of WR.  Just doesn't make sense to me.

 

 

[toddc 13,197]

I would think the Loy ? transfer would be a better option because of his qualities as a runner and the competition he’s faced. I think Joiner would be the wildcat Qb if we run it.

[McLoofus 35,182]

On 8/22/2020 at 1:00 PM, toddc said:

I would think the Loy ? transfer would be a better option because of his qualities as a runner and the competition he’s faced. I think Joiner would be the wildcat Qb if we run it.

He makes good sense if he's got the intelligence and vision to run it. I had hopes of him maybe being a Kalen Ballage for us but they might not be similar beyond their metrics.

[TexasTiger 14,289]

On 8/22/2020 at 11:38 AM, Cardin Drake said:

This post makes a number of good points.  I can't quite figure out the Caylin situation.  In my dream scenario, he would be a starting WR, and teams would always have to worry about him lining up at QB and running the zone read. That does not seem likely-just not Gus.  And as Mcloofus pointed out, we didn't utilize Joey last year, and he easily could have played a much bigger role.  Also, it's going to be hard for Caylin to break into the WR rotation. He's certainly a good enough athlete to do so, but we have a lot of     talent there already. And it's a new position for him. It's going to take time, and he only has 2 years.

Caylin is not the ideal height for a QB, but he's about the same size as Davis, and we have no problem with Davis as a QB.  Caylin was an exceptional QB at Howard.   I don't think he would have had a problem going to a D1 school and getting a real shot at the starting role.  For Auburn, he may not have had a real shot at a starting role, but hey, injuries happen. And we do need a reliable backup. Caylin seems to hit all the checkmarks there much more so than anybody else on the roster.  I guess this is the long way of saying I don't understand why he's not at QB instead of WR.  Just doesn't make sense to me.

 

 

He wants to be on the field.

[McLoofus 35,182]

16 hours ago, TexasTiger said:

He wants to be on the field.

Yeah. If he had a future at QB, he would've been offered accordingly. (If I've made contradictory statements about other "QB/<position" players in the past, I've since learned better.)

The NFL, though, has numerous WRs who were QBs in college because they were the best athlete on the team. You can say the same about college ball. 

Also, Chad Morris spreads the ball around, and our top 3 receivers are likely gone after this year. Stove, the guy Newton is most likely to back up, will definitely be gone. Throw in special teams opportunities- 5'11 201 and fast gives you a lot of options- and it makes good sense for him. 

[TexasTiger 14,289]

2 hours ago, McLoofus said:

Yeah. If he had a future at QB, he would've been offered accordingly. (If I've made contradictory statements about other "QB/<position" players in the past, I've since learned better.)

The NFL, though, has numerous WRs who were QBs in college because they were the best athlete on the team. You can say the same about college ball. 

Also, Chad Morris spreads the ball around, and our top 3 receivers are likely gone after this year. Stove, the guy Newton is most likely to back up, will definitely be gone. Throw in special teams opportunities- 5'11 201 and fast gives you a lot of options- and it makes good sense for him. 

Do we know his 40 time? Shuttle time?

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 minute ago, TexasTiger said:

Do we know his 40 time? Shuttle time?

Huh. Not sure if accurate but this says 4.83. He doesn't seem to be particularly high in any of these metrics. Maybe I overestimated his athleticism based on anecdotes that either were exaggerated or I misinterpreted them. Or maybe this isn't really an accurate view of his athleticism. All very possible, but especially whichever scenarios include me being wrong...

http://www.espn.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/combine/_/id/220577/caylin-newton

[DAG 34,754]

4 hours ago, McLoofus said:

Yeah. If he had a future at QB, he would've been offered accordingly. (If I've made contradictory statements about other "QB/<position" players in the past, I've since learned better.)

The NFL, though, has numerous WRs who were QBs in college because they were the best athlete on the team. You can say the same about college ball. 

Also, Chad Morris spreads the ball around, and our top 3 receivers are likely gone after this year. Stove, the guy Newton is most likely to back up, will definitely be gone. Throw in special teams opportunities- 5'11 201 and fast gives you a lot of options- and it makes good sense for him. 

Exactly . This guy can definitely make it at the next level with his athletic ability . It doesn’t hurt that he is related to Cam. No doubt in my mind , this guy comes in and put in the work at WR and potentially special teams , he will get a shot at the next level. 

[TexasTiger 14,289]

7 hours ago, McLoofus said:

Huh. Not sure if accurate but this says 4.83. He doesn't seem to be particularly high in any of these metrics. Maybe I overestimated his athleticism based on anecdotes that either were exaggerated or I misinterpreted them. Or maybe this isn't really an accurate view of his athleticism. All very possible, but especially whichever scenarios include me being wrong...

http://www.espn.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/combine/_/id/220577/caylin-newton

Yeah, I had seen that one and hoped it was off. If it’s 4.83, he might as well work at QB as a back up unless he’s exceptionally quick. I assume they’ve seen something in him. 

[AuburnTiger4Life 2,225]

Read this and immediately thought roll of toilet paper instead of role. Thanks covid