Cam Newton not impressed with Texas culture

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said "culture has won some games" during the coach's four-year Longhorns tenure, but college football legend Cam Newton took aim at those comments in his latest podcast episode. The former Heisman Trophy winner argued NIL and Texas boosters are just as big of a factor in the Longhorns' recent success as the culture cultivated by Sarkisian.

"Look, Coach Sarkisian, all that stuff is cool," Newton said. "Building a culture does take time, but having the boosters attached to the University of Texas also helps. Hello? They have the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation and probably the No. 1 spend in the nation. C'mon dog. C'mon bro. I'm not trying to discredit the importance of building a culture. It takes time. But come on. Any great coach knows that they need great players. Nowadays, these players are a great expense. We're going to look back at how college sports were impacted by NIL and find a commonality that teams who are winning are spending a lot of money. I'm not going to be the bearer of bad news, but I'll be the processor of real news."

Texas ranks No. 1 on the college football NIL collective leaders for 2025 at an estimated $22.2 million. The Longhorns secured the No. 1 recruiting class for 2025, the first time the program has finished atop the recruiting rankings in the modern recruiting era (since 2000).

"Coach Sarkisian, respectfully, what you've been able to do at Texas is admirable," Newton said. "I'm not only a fan of you but also your wife. She's fly. Matthew McConaughey was one of my childhood heroes and still someone I look up to. Vince Young. But Coach Sarkisian, my man, understand that the only way you're able to assemble those rosters is not only about culture but spending that money. Yo, bro, understand that the (money) is making athletes even consider it."