Johnny Manziel was supposed to be the face of Texas A&M’s moment in the College Football Playoff spotlight. Instead, the former Heisman winner became the story for all the wrong reasons on Saturday morning - and Aggies fans had plenty to say about it.
ESPN had promoted Manziel all week as the celebrity guest picker for College GameDay, which was broadcasting live from Kyle Field ahead of the CFP first-round matchup between Texas A&M and Miami. With the Aggies making their long-awaited playoff debut, it made sense to bring back one of the most electric players in program history. This was supposed to be a full-circle moment - a celebration of A&M’s past and present.
But when the lights came on and the GameDay crew took the stage, Manziel was nowhere to be found.
Instead, fans were greeted by a familiar face from a different sport: Alex Caruso. The former Texas A&M basketball standout - now an NBA champion with the Oklahoma City Thunder - stepped in as the last-minute replacement. Caruso held it down, but the absence of Manziel was impossible to ignore.
Meanwhile, Manziel’s own social media had already painted a picture. Posts from Friday night showed him enjoying the Miami nightlife - the same city his alma mater was set to face in a few short hours. That only added fuel to the fire.
Aggies fans didn’t hold back. Social media lit up with frustration, disappointment, and a sense of déjà vu. Many pointed to Manziel’s well-documented off-field issues, suggesting that skipping out on GameDay was just another chapter in a familiar story.
“Missing the show after being in Miami the night before is the most Johnny Manziel thing ever,” one fan wrote. Another questioned why ESPN had trusted him with a live appearance in the first place.
The backlash wasn’t just about a missed TV spot. For many Aggies fans, this was about legacy.
Manziel remains one of the most iconic players to ever wear maroon and white. His 2012 Heisman season was nothing short of legendary - 7,820 passing yards, 2,169 rushing yards, and 93 total touchdowns over his college career.
He turned Texas A&M into a national brand overnight and brought an electricity to Kyle Field that hadn’t been felt in years.
But moments like this one reopen old wounds. For every highlight-reel scramble or deep ball to Mike Evans, there’s been a headline off the field that leaves fans shaking their heads. Saturday’s no-show wasn’t just about being late or missing a segment - it was a reminder that, more than a decade later, the same questions about accountability and reliability still linger.
To be clear, Manziel still holds a special place in the hearts of many Aggie fans. You don’t forget a player who changed the trajectory of your program. But on a day when Texas A&M was writing a new chapter in its football history, the absence of its most famous son hit differently.
This was supposed to be a unifying moment. Instead, it became a flashpoint.
Alex Caruso stepped in and represented the university with class. But for fans who were hoping to see Johnny Football back in the spotlight - this time, for the right reasons - Saturday morning was a letdown.
And for Manziel, it was another missed opportunity to reconnect with the school and the fanbase that once embraced him as a legend.