Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Cam Newton got an early start on awards week.

Already the overwhelming favorite for the Heisman Trophy, Newton was a unanimous choice Monday for offensive player of the year on The Associated Press All-Southeastern Conference team, leading top-ranked Auburn's domination of the individual awards.

Teammate Nick Fairley was chosen as defensive player of the year, while Gene Chizik was the pick as top coach after guiding the Tigers to a 13-0 season, the SEC championship and a spot in the national championship game at Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 10.

Preventing an Auburn sweep was South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore, selected unanimously as the freshman of the year.

In addition to Newton, Fairley and Lattimore, five other players were named to the first team on every ballot. Auburn offensive lineman Lee Ziemba and Arkansas tight end D.J. Williams were joined by three LSU players: defensive tackle Drake Nevis, cornerback Patrick Peterson and kicker Josh Jasper.

Newton, who played sparingly at Florida and spent last season at an obscure junior college in Texas, emerged as the game's most dominating player after returning to the SEC.

The 6-foot-6, 250-pounder turned out to be a dynamic dual threat. He led the conference in rushing with 1,409 yards, scored 20 touchdowns and often ran right over smaller linebackers and defensive backs. But he was no slouch when he dropped back to throw, either, leading the SEC in passing efficiency with 67 percent completions, 28 touchdowns and just six interceptions.

Newton was at his best in the SEC championship game, throwing four TD passes and running for two scores in Auburn's 56-17 rout of South Carolina that clinched a trip to the desert to face No. 2 Oregon for the national title. He also became just the second player in the history of the NCAA's top division to run AND throw for 20 TDs in a season; the first was Tim Tebow.

"You can't tackle him," Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier marveled. "He's almost a one-man show."

This will likely be the first of many rewards for Newton. In addition to the Heisman, which is considered a foregone conclusion, he is a finalist for the Davey O'Brien, Maxwell, Manning and Walter Camp awards.

Newton's season wasn't all smooth sailing. He was tarnished by allegations that his father, Cecil, wanted a $180,000 payoff from Mississippi State for his son to sign with the Bulldogs. The NCAA ruled that Cecil Newton violated the rules, but also said neither the player nor Auburn knew anything about the scheme, allowing Cam Newton to remain eligible.

Chizik, who was an assistant at Texas when Vince Young led the Longhorns to the national title, said Newton has put together an even greater season.