Johnny Manziel was set to make a high-profile return to the college football spotlight on Saturday morning. The former Texas A&M star - still one of the most electrifying quarterbacks the sport has seen - was announced as the celebrity guest picker for ESPN’s College GameDay ahead of the Aggies’ first-ever College Football Playoff appearance against the Miami Hurricanes.
But when the show went live from the playoff site, there was no sign of “Johnny Football.” Instead, it was another Aggie fan favorite - NBA guard and Texas A&M basketball alum Alex Caruso - who took the seat at the desk.
So what happened?
Well, in classic Manziel fashion, his absence wasn’t exactly low-profile. The night before the game, Manziel was in Miami, not preparing for a morning TV appearance, but ringside at the highly anticipated Jake Paul vs.
Anthony Joshua fight. He posted several updates to social media throughout Friday night, including shots from his hotel and his seat at the event - even sharing a promotional graphic from Bleacher Report touting his upcoming GameDay appearance.
And yet, come Saturday morning, he was nowhere to be found.
Neither ESPN nor Manziel’s camp had issued any official comment by kickoff at 11 a.m. CT, but the switch-up didn’t go unnoticed. Viewers tuning in expecting to see the 2012 Heisman winner were greeted instead by Caruso, who stepped in and made his picks - including backing his alma mater to knock off Miami.
The confusion was immediate. Even sports business analyst Joe Pompliano took to social media to point out the last-minute change, noting that GameDay had promoted Manziel the night before, only for the graphic to switch to Caruso on Saturday morning.
While the lack of explanation left plenty of questions, the reaction wasn’t exactly shock. Manziel’s college career was a mix of brilliance on the field and unpredictability off of it.
He rewrote the record books at A&M, captured national attention with his playmaking ability, and became a cultural phenomenon in the process. But he’s also long been known for his freewheeling lifestyle - and skipping an early-morning TV appearance after a late night out?
That tracks with the persona fans have come to expect.
Still, it was a missed opportunity for a full-circle moment. Texas A&M making its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance, with its most iconic modern player on hand to celebrate it, would’ve made for great television.
Instead, it was Caruso - a beloved figure in his own right and a proud Aggie - who filled the void. And to his credit, he delivered, picking the Aggies to take down the Hurricanes - a prediction Manziel himself likely would’ve echoed, despite his known affinity for Miami.
In the end, it was a very Johnny Manziel moment: unexpected, headline-grabbing, and leaving people wondering what could’ve been.