Former Texas A&M QB ranked high in ESPN's Top 90 college Quarterback rankings
Former Texas A&M QB ranked high in ESPN's Top 90 college Quarterback rankings
Texas A&M's quarterback history has been muddled since Johnny Manziel exited College Station after two seasons, including his Heisman-winning 2012 campaign and the best season Texas A&M has had in the last decade. Despite his post-football troubles, Manziel's legacy lives on, and he is still considered one of the greatest athletes to ever grace the college football landscape.
Manziel, who starred at Tivy High School for three years, produced 75 passing touchdowns and 78 rushing scores, and with dreams to play for the Texas Longhorns, rumors regarding former Texas head coach Mack Brown wanting Manziel to play defensive back were shot down but resulted in going in a different direction. While he originally intended to play for Oregon, former Texas A&M QB coach Tom Rossley sealed the deal.
After redshirting during their 2011 freshman season, Manziel's entry into the college football zeitgeist was a slow build, surprisingly earning the starting QB job in the fall of 2012. Still, the Aggies' opening-season loss to Florida was the first step towards his stardom. Manziel's status skyrocketed, leading up to A&M's historic road win over No. 1 Alabama, and finishing the season with 3,706 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, 1,410 rushing yards, and 21 scores.
After winning Texas A&M's second-ever Heisman Trophy, Manziel's stats steadily increased through the air during the 2013 season, but the Aggies' struggling defense led to the future first-round pick having to pick up the slack offensively, leading to throwing for 4,114 yards and 37 touchdowns.
After being drafted 22nd overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 2014 NFL Draft, Manziel's career took a downturn, but his college success lives on.
Last week, ESPN's Bill Connelly ranked the top 90 college quarterbacks in the 2000s. Manziel came in at No. 13, surprisingly one spot below Texas QB Coly McCoy.
"Texas A&M won 20 games in the Johnny Football era, beat Alabama (and nearly did so twice) and immediately put to rest any silly "Yeah, but can that Big 12 offense work in the SEC?" qualms as the Aggies joined the league. But that alone doesn't describe just how much one player could dominate the sport's consciousness over multiple seasons. You couldn't take your eyes off of him because you really, really needed to see what he might do next."
Johnny "Football" Manziel was pure excitement and created new football fans who still enjoy today's game. If he had stayed for one more season, I can safely say that Manziel would have been higher on the list.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
16 minutes ago
- USA Today
Texas A&M baseball lands commitment from former Baylor left-handed pitcher
The Texas A&M baseball program added another impressive arm to its bullpen on Saturday night, as the Aggies landed the commitment from one of the Big 12 Conference's most promising stars. Head coach Michael Earley landed former Baylor left-handed pitcher Carson Bailey via the transfer portal, according to reports from TexAgs. As a freshman for the Bears in 2025, Bailey struck out 56 batters in 53.1 innings pitched with his impressive repertoire of pitches on the mound. Before signing with Baylor baseball in 2023, Bailey was a three-year letter winner at J.J. Pearce High School, as he led his team to back-to-back district titles in 2022 and 2023. In just eight starts as a sophomore in high school, he struck out 65 batters in 35 innings of work. After an injury sidelined him during his junior season, Bailey fired back by posting a 1.50 ERA and 88 strikeouts as a senior. After a full season with the Bears in Waco, Texas, the No. 43 lefty in the 2024 class announced his commitment to Earley and the Texas A&M baseball program, giving the Aggies some good late-night news this weekend. The offseason additions via the portal and high school recruiting continue to give the club momentum heading into next year's campaign. After a lackluster season in 2025, Texas A&M will hope to bounce back and silence any doubters by performing well and avoiding missing postseason play. If the program wants to change the current narratives, the first step to doing so is to build around the future of the program. With additions like Bailey to the bullpen, the future could be getting brighter if Earley can develop his young stars. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Predicting Steelers potential trade package for Jalen Ramsey
There is nothing more exciting than trade speculation — and there has been no shortage of it with the Jalen Ramsey to Pittsburgh rumors. Luckily for the Steelers, however, acquiring the Dolphins' All-Pro cornerback could come at a bargain, as Miami is likely desperate to offload his massive contract. The Rams demanded just a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long in the trade that sent Ramsey from Los Angeles to Miami — but that was two years ago, when his contract was more feasible. Ramsey's current deal, which expires in 2029, is far from ideal for any team looking to acquire him — with $25 million due in 2026, $26.8 million in 2027, and $36.1 million in 2028. That financial burden should force the Dolphins to settle for a Day 3 draft pick. In addition to Miami potentially eating some of his contract, the Steelers could theoretically acquire Ramsey for a fourth- or fifth-round draft pick — potentially creating the most dangerous secondary in the NFL with cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay Jr., as well as safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott. Will the Steelers pull the trigger on the blockbuster trade, or will the Dolphins corner be sent elsewhere? For up-to-date Steelers coverage, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like.
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Rangers visit the Pirates on 3-game road win streak
Texas Rangers (38-39, third in the AL West) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (30-48, fifth in the NL Central) Pittsburgh; Sunday, 1:35 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Rangers: Jack Leiter (4-4, 4.40 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 49 strikeouts); Pirates: Bailey Falter (5-3, 3.49 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 50 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Pirates -115, Rangers -105; over/under is 9 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Texas Rangers visit the Pittsburgh Pirates trying to prolong a three-game road winning streak. Pittsburgh has a 30-48 record overall and a 19-21 record at home. The Pirates are 20-9 in games when they have more hits than their opponents. Texas has a 15-23 record on the road and a 38-39 record overall. The Rangers have a 20-2 record in games when they scored five or more runs. The teams play Sunday for the third time this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Oneil Cruz has 10 doubles, a triple and 13 home runs while hitting .215 for the Pirates. Andrew McCutchen is 11 for 40 with three doubles and three home runs over the past 10 games. Josh Smith has 11 doubles, a triple, seven home runs and 20 RBIs for the Rangers. Wyatt Langford is 13 for 44 with two doubles, two home runs and five RBIs over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 3-7, .196 batting average, 3.88 ERA, outscored by 11 runs Rangers: 6-4, .251 batting average, 3.46 ERA, outscored opponents by seven runs INJURIES: Pirates: Ryan Borucki: 15-Day IL (back), Endy Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Colin Holderman: 15-Day IL (thumb), Enmanuel Valdez: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Justin Lawrence: 60-Day IL (elbow), Tim Mayza: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jared Jones: 60-Day IL (elbow), Johan Oviedo: 60-Day IL (elbow) Rangers: Jake Burger: 10-Day IL (oblique), Tyler Mahle: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Nathan Eovaldi: 15-Day IL (tricep), Joc Pederson: 10-Day IL (hand), Cody Bradford: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jon Gray: 60-Day IL (wrist), Josh Sborz: 60-Day IL (shoulder) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
