At 6-foot 6-inches and 250 pounds, Cam Newton was the third Auburn Tiger to earn the Heisman Trophy, joining Pat Sullivan '71 and Vincent "Bo" Jackson '85. Newton completed 185 of 280 passes for 2,854 yards and 30 touchdowns while throwing only seven interceptions. He also accumulated 1,473 yards and an additional 20 touchdowns on 264 rush attempts and caught two passes for 42 yards and a touchdown.

His passing and rushing touchdown totals set an Auburn University record and made him only the second player to tally 20 or more passing and rushing touchdowns in the same season. Newton led the Tigers to a perfect 14-0 record, an SEC title and a BCS National Championship.

Ballots were mailed to 870 media personnel across the nation plus 55 Heisman winners and one fan ballot, for a total of 926 electors. The ballots are received and tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP. Newton polled 2,263 points to capture the award over Andrew Luck of Stanford (1,079 points), LaMichael James of Oregon (916 points), and Kellen Moore of Boise State (635 points).

Pat Sullivan, a three-season starter at Auburn was the first Heisman winner from a school coached by the trophy's namesake, John Heisman.

With Sullivan at the helm, the Tigers averaged well over 34 points and 426 yards a game throughout his three-year tenure. Sullivan himself accounted for 73 touchdowns (18 running and 55 passing) to equal the all-time NCAA mark. In his senior season in 1971, Sullivan led Auburn to a 9-2 record and a Sugar Bowl appearance. With Sullivan at quarterback from 1969-1971, Auburn would go 25-5 overall.

Also an excellent student, Sullivan was named an Academic All-American and graduated with a bachelor's of science in business administration in 1972. Sullivan finished his college career with 6,284 passing yards and 57 touchdowns, along with another 18 touchdowns on the ground.