When I first heard the term, Johnny Football, I could not understand how a college player, let alone a freshman, could achieve a nickname that spawns such greatness in the sport. In my eyes, only the immortal, Johnny Unitas, deserved to have the word football in is name. But then Johnny Manziel came onto the scene, with one of the biggest upsets of the season, leading Texas A & M past the great Alabama Crimson Tide. By playing in the SEC with a rookie quarterback, the Aggies weren't supposed to win many games this year. Johnny Manziel changed all that by leading A&M to a 10-2 record in their inaugural season as part of the SEC. It is hard not to fall in love with good hearted chuckling Manziel who represents the typical high school football star. In small, isolated towns where the Friday night football game is the biggest stage of entertainment for everyone, players like Manziel are canonized as local icons and heroes. Winning the Heisman did more than solidify Manziel's status as a local hero. By being declared the best college football player, Manziel reserved himself a highly coveted spot in one of the most exclusive clubs in all of sports, the Heisman Club.
The most obscure thing about Manziel is that he is only a red shirted freshman. Already, Manziel plays with such confidence and poise, that so many rookie quarterbacks in the NFL lack. One instance of this was during the Alabama game where Manziel bobbled the football but recovered and collected himself to through a strike to a wide open receiver in the back of the endzone. Manziel has also demonstrated his maturity by taking on the seemingly impossible task of leading a team and a whole school, in his freshman season, let alone win ten games.
Manziel likely has 3 more years to develop in college before he goes pro, so what he can accomplish is unimaginable. The SEC has dominated college football over the past 5 years with Alabama, Auburn, Florida, and LSU winning the last 6 national title games. Look for Texas A&M to be added to the mix as Manziel matures and develops.
The most obscure thing about Manziel is that he is only a red shirted freshman. Already, Manziel plays with such confidence and poise, that so many rookie quarterbacks in the NFL lack. One instance of this was during the Alabama game where Manziel bobbled the football but recovered and collected himself to through a strike to a wide open receiver in the back of the endzone. Manziel has also demonstrated his maturity by taking on the seemingly impossible task of leading a team and a whole school, in his freshman season, let alone win ten games.
Manziel likely has 3 more years to develop in college before he goes pro, so what he can accomplish is unimaginable. The SEC has dominated college football over the past 5 years with Alabama, Auburn, Florida, and LSU winning the last 6 national title games. Look for Texas A&M to be added to the mix as Manziel matures and develops.
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