Alex Caruso Steps In as College GameDay Guest Picker, Replacing Johnny Manziel in College Station
College GameDay is pulling double duty this College Football Playoff weekend, and Saturday’s show brought a bit of a curveball. While Friday night’s edition aired live from Norman ahead of Alabama’s win over Oklahoma - with Sooner legend Brian Bosworth on hand as guest picker - Saturday’s broadcast from College Station took a different turn.
Texas A&M fans were expecting to see Johnny Manziel join the desk. Instead, they got another Aggie fan favorite: NBA champion Alex Caruso.
The change came without warning. No official reason was given for the switch, and neither ESPN nor Manziel addressed it publicly.
Manziel had been promoted as the guest picker across multiple platforms, including Bleacher Report’s pregame show at Kyle Field. He even shared the promo to his Instagram stories Friday night - but when Saturday morning rolled around, he was a no-show.
Instead, Alex Caruso made his College GameDay debut in front of his hometown crowd.
And for Aggie fans, it’s hard to imagine a better backup plan.
Caruso is College Station through and through. He starred for the Aggies men’s basketball team from 2012 to 2016, where he built a reputation as a defensive anchor and a playmaker. By the time he left campus, he was the program’s all-time leader in both assists and steals - and the heart of the 2015-16 team that reached the Sweet 16.
His college resume earned him All-SEC honors, but Caruso’s professional journey is what’s truly turned him into a fan favorite across the sports world. After going undrafted, he worked his way up through the G League before catching on with the Los Angeles Lakers.
From 2017 to 2021, he carved out a role with the Lakers - culminating in a 2020 NBA championship. During that playoff run, Caruso appeared in 21 games, averaging 6.5 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.
He started one game in the Finals and played a key role in the Lakers' defensive schemes.
He followed that up with a strong stint in Chicago, where he reached a career-high 10.1 points per game in his final season with the Bulls in 2023-24. That summer, he was traded to Oklahoma City - a move that turned out to be a perfect fit.
With the Thunder, Caruso became a key piece of a team that stormed to the 2024-25 NBA title. He averaged 7.1 points during the regular season, but it was in the playoffs where he truly stepped up.
Caruso raised his game to 9.2 points and two steals per contest during the title run, including two 20-point performances in the Finals against Indiana - something he hadn’t done once during the regular season. That clutch production helped him etch his name into NBA history.
Oklahoma City clearly saw the value. After the championship parade wrapped, the Thunder locked Caruso in with a four-year, $81 million contract extension.
Now, he’s adding College GameDay guest picker to the résumé - and doing it in front of the hometown fans who’ve been cheering him on since his days in maroon and white. While the sudden absence of Johnny Manziel raised some eyebrows, Caruso’s appearance brought its own kind of energy to the set.
And for Aggie Nation, seeing one of their own - who’s climbed from undrafted longshot to NBA champion - represent the program on one of college football’s biggest stages? That’s a win before the game even kicks off.