Johnny Manziel was set to make a high-profile return to College Station last Saturday as the guest picker for ESPN’s College GameDay, ahead of Texas A&M’s College Football Playoff showdown with Miami. But when the show went live, the former Heisman Trophy winner was nowhere to be found.
Instead, Manziel was spotted the night before in Miami, attending the Jake Paul-Anthony Joshua boxing match-an appearance that stirred plenty of attention, not just for his presence at the fight, but for what followed. Less than 12 hours later, he missed his scheduled GameDay appearance, fueling speculation across social media and college football circles.
Manziel later took to Instagram to apologize for the no-show and pushed back on the swirling rumors about his health. According to a report, he was sidelined by a sudden illness that kept him from making it back to College Station in time. Whether coincidence or consequence, the timing of that illness-coming right after a high-profile night out-didn’t go unnoticed.
In his absence, ESPN tapped former Texas A&M basketball standout and current Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso to step in as the guest picker. Caruso, a fan favorite in both Aggieland and the NBA, filled the role on short notice, and the show went on without a hitch.
But the situation didn’t slip past College GameDay host Rece Davis, who offered a not-so-subtle jab during the latest episode of the College GameDay Podcast. While discussing the Paul-Joshua fight with co-host Dan Wetzel, Davis made a pointed remark without naming Manziel directly.
“When you go to a fight like that, you’ve got to be very careful about where you eat breakfast the next morning,” Davis said. “Because it can leave you ill and give you difficulty in reaching the locales where you are scheduled to be. But I digress.”
He followed up with a bit more edge: “I just wondered, is that what the kids are calling it these days? A bad breakfast?
Anyway, wouldn’t cast aspersions anywhere. For those who follow closely, you’ll be able to read between the lines there.
You have to follow a little closely.”
It was a classic Davis delivery-dry, sharp, and layered with just enough ambiguity to let the audience connect the dots.
As for the game itself, it didn’t go the way Aggies fans had hoped. Texas A&M fell 10-3 to Miami, ending their season in disappointing fashion. It was a defensive slugfest with few offensive highlights, a tough pill to swallow for a program that had finally broken through to the playoff stage.
The Manziel situation may have been a sideshow, but it added another layer to a weekend that was already emotionally charged for the Aggie faithful. For a fanbase that still holds Johnny Football in legendary regard, the missed appearance-whatever the reason-was a noticeable absence on a day that was supposed to be a celebration of A&M’s return to the national spotlight.
In the end, the Aggies’ playoff run ended with a thud, and Manziel’s missed moment became part of the story. Whether it's a case of bad timing, bad luck, or just bad breakfast, the episode was a reminder that in college football, the off-field narratives often carry just as much weight as what happens between the lines.