Cam Newton and Robert Griffin III will be back in the spotlight when the 2026 Aflac Kickoff Game brings the two Heisman winners in as honorary captains for their alma maters.
Newton, Auburn’s 2010 Heisman Trophy winner, will represent the Tigers, while Baylor will be represented by Griffin, the 2011 Heisman Trophy recipient. Both honorary captains will be on the field with the team captains for the pregame coin toss before the 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Sept. 5 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
It is only the second time the Aflac Kickoff Game has featured Heisman winners serving as honorary captains for both teams. The first came in 2017, when Jameis Winston represented Florida State against Derrick Henry and Alabama.
Newton’s Auburn legacy still looms large. He led the Tigers to their most recent national championship, finishing an undefeated season with a 22-19 win over Oregon in the 2011 BCS title game.
In his Heisman season, Newton threw 30 touchdown passes and ran for 20 more, becoming the third Auburn player to win the award. He left school as Auburn’s all-time leader in rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, and his 30 passing touchdowns remain the program’s single-season record.
The top overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers, Newton carried that dual-threat impact into the league, breaking the single-season rushing touchdown record for a quarterback as a rookie and earning 2011 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. His best pro season came in 2015, when he became the first Auburn alumnus to win NFL MVP after guiding the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance.
Griffin’s Baylor resume is just as decorated. His 2011 Heisman campaign helped push the Bears onto the national stage, including their first 10-win season in more than 30 years and their first home win over a top-five team since 1982.
Griffin piled up 10 rushing touchdowns and 37 passing touchdowns while accounting for nearly 5,000 total yards. His 78 career passing touchdowns and 33 quarterback rushing touchdowns still stand as Baylor records.
He later became the highest drafted player in program history, going second overall to Washington. In his first NFL season, he produced 27 touchdowns and more than 4,000 total yards, good enough for 2012 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
The game will also carry the Aflac Kickoff Game’s “Kickoff for a Cause” theme. Because September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, each honorary captain will be joined by a current or former Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta patient from the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center who is a fan of one of the teams.
The initiative is now in its fourth year and has raised more than $1.2 million for childhood cancer research. Aflac and Peach Bowl, Inc. say the effort is aimed at supporting research and treatment for childhood cancer, building on long-running charitable commitments from both organizations.
Since 1995, Aflac independent sales agents, employees and The Aflac Foundation, Inc. have contributed more than $200 million to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Peach Bowl, Inc. has donated more than $23.5 million to the Peach Bowl LegACy Fund, which currently supports 18 clinical drug trials for children.
This year’s matchup is the 24th edition of the nation’s longest-running kickoff game and brings just the second Big 12 vs. SEC pairing in the event’s history, and the first in 12 years. Baylor will be making its first appearance in the game, while Auburn is set for its fourth trip.
It will also be only the sixth time Baylor and Auburn have met on the field, with the rivalry dating back to 1954. The series is tied 2-2-1, and Auburn won the most recent meeting, 38-24, last season in Waco, Texas.
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Joe Klanderman is trying to give the other side of the ball a similar reset. The defensive coordinator is reshaping the unit by bringing in players from his previous stop and other experienced programs, a sign Baylor is leaning on familiarity and proven backgrounds as it tries to stabilize the defense. Add that to the growing belief around Lagway, and there is at least a real sense in Waco that this fall could feel different. [Read more 🡒]