Football fans know Cam Newton and Johnny Manziel for their electric plays on-field, but their off-field escapades? Those are straight-up legendary too. These two don’t just break records—they break the mold when it comes to living it up. From Heisman glory to NFL fame, they’ve seen it all—and, might we add, partied with the best!

In an all-exclusive Essentially Sports interview on 4th & 1 with Cam Newton, the duo dropped some serious heat, sharing their craziest college party stories featuring none other than Drake and Gorilla Zoe. Kicking off the fun, Johnny Manziel, the Heisman Trophy-winning QB, went first, and boy, did he set the bar high. “I was in college at Auburn for a year, okay. So, I hop on [social media] one night, I get a chance, and I see a message from DRAKE,” Manziel spilled. “The boy says, ‘Come to Toronto, come hang out, kick it’.”

Manziel, ever the risk-taker, scraped together his college cash and flew straight to the 6ix. “So, of course, sitting there, I had to scroll up all my little dollars I have in college. I hit the flight straight to Toronto and went to the city for the first time. I got to really be around one of who I think is one of the greatest musicians that has ever gotten a chance to grace it. So, for me to get a chance to go in and out of the clubs in Toronto. I explored the city, and then at the end of it, I got to hop on a flight and go back to College Station, Texas. So, a little bit of a different whirlwind right there,” he asserted during the Essentially Sports exclusive interview. From hitting the clubs to exploring Toronto’s nightlife, Manziel’s whirlwind weekend ended with him hopping back on a flight to College Station, Texas, like it was no big deal. Yeah, just your typical college experience, right? 

Then it was Cam Newton’s turn to drop some party knowledge. Newton, who only spent one year at Auburn, didn’t have a long list of celebrity run-ins—but what he had was golden. “I partied with Gorilla Zoe,” he said with a grin, recalling the legendary night in Auburn, Alabama. “Gorilla Zo…middle of the stage…y’all too bougie for me. Need to loosen up. Hey, give me the Fanatics crowd… Bro, yes, but Gorilla Zoe, shout out to Gorilla Zoe for coming to Auburn, Alabama.”

Newton’s story might not have had the flashy Toronto lights, but it had that down-home, gritty vibe only the South can deliver. Both stories showed the wild, unexpected twists of being a college football superstar. Jet-setting with Drake or rocking out with Gorilla Zoe, these guys proved they could hang—and debate who would’ve scored the biggest NIL bag.

Cam Newton vs. Johnny Manziel: Who would’ve scored the biggest NIL bag?

Cam Newton knows a thing or two about Heisman glory, but when it comes to the NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) cash, he thinks Johnny Manziel would’ve taken the crown. On the 4th and 1 Show podcast, Newton asked Manziel who would’ve made the biggest bag from NIL deals—him, Reggie Bush, or Manziel himself. The ex-Browns’ QB, ever humble, replied, “You got Reggie in LA. You got me. But for me, the person I wanted to emulate was Super Cam.”

But Newton didn’t buy that, pointing out, “When I think about Caucasian quarterbacks, who got that ‘it factor’? That’s why your bag would’ve been way different than mine. Johnny Football? You had that s**t on you!”

Manziel, who electrified college football during his time at Texas A&M, speculated on Club Shay Shay that he could’ve raked in around $10 million per season if NIL existed back then. He even revealed that his dad was working on a $3 million deal with Texas A&M to keep him for another season—though the offer never went through.

While Newton, a Heisman winner in 2010, had his own massive draw, even he admitted Manziel’s NIL valuation would’ve been off the charts. Newton may have owned the field, but Manziel would’ve owned the bank.

Catch all the behind-the-scenes vibes from EssentiallySports’ 4th & 1 Show with Cam Newton as Johnny Manziel joins us on the latest episode. We dive deep into their college wild-night out stories with Drake and Gorilla Zoe. Stay tuned for more!