Caylin Newton began his college football career as a quarterback at Howard. Now, he’s a redshirt junior wide receiver for Auburn, having redshirted the 2019 season and transferring to join the Tigers.

This year, Newton could become a contributor for the Tigers’ receiving corps. He appears to have been impressing Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn, who said during this week’s Tiger Talk, his weekly call-in show, that Newton reminds him of Kodi Burns, a former Tigers receiver and the team’s current wide receivers coach. Burns also began his college playing career (which lasted from 2007-10 at Auburn) as a quarterback.

“Caylin reminds me a little bit of Coach Burns when he made the transition,” Malzahn said during the show (h/t Mark Murphy of 247Sports.com). “He really understand the game, he understands offenses and defenses. It is just a matter of doing. Caylin has got a lot of winner in him. He is a great competitor.”

Newton isn’t the first member of his family to play at Auburn. His older brother is Cam Newton, the current New England Patriots quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy and led the Tigers to the national championship in the 2010 season. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the younger Newton is being praised for his competitiveness.

Newton was listed as a backup receiver on Auburn’s depth chart for its season opener against Kentucky on Saturday, and he will also likely be used on special teams. However, he could possibly get a bigger role once he gets opportunities, as he has yet to play his first game for the Tigers and may need to prove himself.

Auburn and Kentucky are set to open the season on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium at noon ET on SEC Network.