Former Heisman winner Cam Newton drops 1-word reaction as Travis Hunter drops heartwarming remark on him

Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter has had a turbulent month since he won the Heisman Trophy on Dec. 14 as the discourse surrounding his relationship with his fiancee has almost overshadowed his accomplishment. Hunter showed that the outside noise had not affected his form by having a strong performance in the Buffaloes' 36-14 loss to the BYU Cougars in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28.

During Monday's episode of his "Travis Hunter Show," Hunter paid tribute to former Heisman winner Cam Newton, with whom he shares a close relationship. He talked about Newton taking care of him when he was asked which previous Heisman winner he would love to have played with.

"It would be Cam Newton, that's my coach," Hunter said. "He matured me a little bit more. All the main people that were in my life, Cam Newton came and he took me, people were trying to use me and stuff like that but he took me and put me on his team. He took care of me."

Newton dropped a one-word comment in the comment section of the Instagram post.

"Love," Newton wrote.

Newton's IG comment (image credit: instagram/travishuntershow)

Travis Hunter and Cam Newton share a close bond

Cam Newton won the Heisman Trophy in 2010 with the Auburn Tigers. However, the events before the ceremony were tinged with controversy after the former quarterback's father, Cecil Newton, was accused by the Mississippi State Bulldogs boosters of soliciting between $120,000-$180,000 before his son could join their program.

Cecil was asked not to attend the Heisman ceremony and despite winning the prestigious accolade, Cam never attended another Heisman ceremony until Travis Hunter won.

During a segment of the "4th and 1" podcast on Dec. 16, Newton revealed that he had changed his stance on attending the 90th Heisman ceremony purely because Hunter, who attended his CN1 program, was honored at the event.

"The only reason I’m going back is because of one of the former players C1N program, Travis Hunter," Newton said. "I've been a fan of all the former Heisman winners and finalists. It was just, it was bigger than that. And, my dad told me to go. So, I don't give a damn how big and bold—[when] Cecll Newton calls me, I answer.

“And my kids, they got so much excitement. I remember when we went to UCF they were like, 'Dad, we want to go see Travis.'"

Newton added during the Dec. 27 episode of the "4th and 1" podcast how he knew before the announcement that Hunter had won the award.

“I knew Travis won the Heisman by merely walking into the auditorium," Newton said. "When I seen his family on the front row, I already knew he won. What is the dead giveaway? With the camera angles, you don’t want people to be seen doing ‘Excuse me, excuse me,’ on TV.”

Ahead of his move to the NFL via the 2025 draft, Hunter's mother, Ferrante Edmonds, has previously thanked Cam Newton on Instagram for the support that he has given her son.