Johnny Manziel Leaves Hole at Texas A&M, Why the Aggies Will Be Just Fine Without "Johnny Football"
ByJohnny Manziel has done a lot of Texas A&M University, but his loss will not be the undoing for the Aggies football team, whose leaders are not worried.
Speaking with USA Today, Aggies offensive coordinator and offensive coordinator Jake Spavital said, lately "all questions end up reverting back to Johnny." He and head coach Kevin Sumlin have the task of finding a new quarterback to succeed two previous ones who were pretty good.
Before Manziel set college football on fire, Ryan Tannehill played under center for the Aggies when they were still in the Big 12. It was the team's success in that conference that helped them move to the SEC in 2012, Manziel's freshman season.
That year, Manziel became the first freshman to ever win the Heisman Trophy while also leading the Aggies to a Cotton Bowl drubbing over Oklahoma. The next year, Manziel's second and final in college, he somehow posted bigger stats and added more memorable plays to the highlight reel. He capped the season with an improbable comeback victory in the Chick-fil-A Bowl against Duke.
In its first two seasons in the nation's toughest football conference, Texas A&M has 20 wins. Now, the school is currently enlarging its football stadium to seat 102,500 seats as part of a massive renovation of Kyle Field. The Aggies growth in fan base and the revenue it generated for the school is in doubt thanks to Manziel's efforts.
No one really denies it either, acknowledged Aggies defensive coordinator Mark Snyder.
"The one thing that Johnny brought us was being on TV every day," he told USA Today. "Every time I looked up. It was amazing."
Spavital will help Sumlin choose between senior Matt Joeckel, sophomore Kenny Hill and freshman Kyle Allen for the Aggies starting QB job this upcoming season. The decision likely will not be made until August, Sports Illustrated reported.
That is not the only tough calls heading Sumlin's way. Along with Manziel, offensive tackle Jake Matthews and wide receiver Mike Evans are projected to be first round picks in the NFL Draft.
Still, the Texas A&M Aggies can also count on having strong recruiting classes now that Manziel helped the team establish itself in the SEC.