in 2007, as a freshman at the university of florida, newton earned the spot over fellow freshman quarterback john brantley as the back-up for star quarterback and eventual heisman trophy winner tim tebow. he played in five games and threw for 40 yards on 5-of-10 passing and ran the ball 16 times for 103 yards and three touchdowns. in 2008, during his sophomore season, newton played in the season opener against hawaii. he then suffered an ankle injury and decided to take a medical redshirt season.