Former Texas A&M quarterback, Heisman winner ranked as top 10 college QB of all time
MLFootball's top 10 list placed Johnny Manziel at No. 6, above the likes of Sam Bradford (Oklahoma), Andrew Luck (Stanford), Vinny Testaverde (Miami) and Dan Marino (Pittsburgh). The former Aggie star shaped the future of the program with his acts of magic on the gridiron, becoming the first freshman in college football history to throw for more than 3,000 yards and rush for more than 1,000 yards in a single season.
Before he decided to play his collegiate career in College Station, Manziel was originally committed to the Oregon Ducks. After Kevin Sumlin was named the head coach and appointed Kliff Kingsbury as his offensive coordinator, the Tivy High School gunslinger brought his talent to Aggieland.
Although things started shaky in the program's first matchup as a member of the SEC against Florida, he quickly turned things around the next week against the SMU Mustangs by throwing for 294 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for 124 yards and recording two scores on the ground.
That moment marked the moment that "Johnny Football" was born. The freshman shredded the league's defenses, including Nick Saban's Alabama team, marking Texas A&M's first win over the Crimson Tide since 1968. He finished his freshman campaign with 3,706 passing yards and 26 touchdowns through the air, while also scorching defenses on the ground for 1,410 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns.
He became the first freshman ever to win the Heisman Trophy. He had a record-breaking performance with 516 total yards and four touchdowns in the Aggies' dominant 41-13 Cotton Bowl victory over Oklahoma.
Manziel secured his first-career 4,000-yard passing season as a sophomore in 2013 and was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 22nd pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. His outstanding speed, vision and ability to throw from any spot on the field made him a role model for the next generation of quarterbacks, but it also made many coaches across the country dread the Saturday when they had to play against him.
"He just stole a game against us in Oxford that I just will never forget. I mean, never," former Ole Miss and current Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said in an interview with Saturday Down South. "We had them beat, dead to right. They're inside the 5-yard-line, gotta go (99) yards. It's (third)-and-19. The things he did on that drive, you just kind of marvel at."
Regardless of the trouble Manziel got himself into off the field, he is one of the greatest college football quarterbacks in history. His groundbreaking achievements and style of play ushered in a new era of college football, while also setting a precedent for all future SEC quarterbacks.
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.
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