Club Shay Shay - Johnny Manziel Part 1 REWIND

Club Shay Shay welcomes Johnny Manziel for a candid conversation with Shannon Sharpe. In this episode, the Texas legend boldly declares Kyler Murray as the best high school quarterback to ever come out of the state, even placing him above Patrick Mahomes and himself. He shares insights that his decision to not commit to Oregon had nothing to do with Marcus Mariota's presence, and then reminisces about beating Alabama as a true freshman at Texas A&M. The conversation takes a surprising turn as Manziel reflects on the Manti Te’o catfishing scandal and the historic Heisman race they were apart of, which Johnny Football inevitably won.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
There are people saying Johnny Manziel will be bigger than
Lebron James in Cleveland.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
I think that person is skip balless.

Speaker 3 (00:09):
All my life, grinding all my life, sacrifights, hustle, Petrick Price,
one slice got the bronc geiswat all my life? IP
be grinding all my life, all my life, growning all
my life, sacrifights, hustle, Patrick Price, one slice got the
Bronc Geist swash all my life. I be grinding all

(00:29):
my life.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
Hello, Welcome to another episode of Club Sha Shay. I
am your host, Shannon Sharp. I'm also the propriud of
Club Shasha, and the guy that's stopping by for conversation
today is one of the most polarizing college athletes ever,
one of the best college football players ever. Member of
the Texas A and M Hall of Fame. He's the
first freshman to ever win the Heisman Trophy. A rock
star quarterback, a larger than life persona a phenomenon. He

(00:56):
was must see TV every Saturday, former NFL courquarterback, Texas legend,
and the stadium in which he played in in college
has been called the House that Johnny Built. Johnny Manziel,
Baby brother, how you doing to thank you for having
long time coming?

Speaker 4 (01:12):
Thank you roll. I don't want to toast I know
you don't drink anymore. You don't drink a more right, no.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
Right, right now. I'm in a way don't want toast
the water. But nevertheless, Noby appreciate it. I appreciate you
off her.

Speaker 4 (01:21):
I appreciate you stopping by time.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
Long time coming, long time coming.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
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Speaker 1 (02:39):
I'm trying to figure out what's in the Texas water.
You get Patrick Maholl, Drew Brees, Matthew Stafford, Andrew Look,
Kyler Murry, Men Young, Nick Boles, RG three, Ryan Tannel,
Baker Mayfield, Jalen Hurts. What the hell on a theendom?
What are they drinking in Texas to produce these type quarterbacks.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
It's a way of life from the time you're I
can and you can go back even further than just
the guys that you name. That's our current, you know,
in recent guys that you see, but you can take
it back. You know, there were guys that you see
in the NFL. Let's let's give you a great example,
Andy Dalton, right, right, what that guy did at TCU,

(03:16):
what he did for the state of Texas. And if
you're a Dallas Fort Worth kid, you love the Frogs
during that time, right, you know. So there have been
great quarterbacks come through the state of Texas for a
long long time. And I think it comes down to
this that Texas high school football is a way of life.
You know, from the time you're five six years old,
you're to Pop Warner the flag, football, all that stuff

(03:38):
that's going on is a way of life. And I
played baseball my whole life growing up, so football was
never it for me until I got to be about
fourteen or fifteen years old. Right, So just looking around
and knowing the landscape now it's only gotten bigger, right,
and it's only growing. But there is something in the water.
There's a bunch of dogs, not just at the quarterback position,

(03:58):
but all the way throughout. I mean, look at Miles Garrett,
our defensive player of the year. We were talking about
like there's some real, real cats that come from Houston,
they come from Dallas, they come from San Antonio, and
they come from Austin and it's just a great state
for football. I mean, in my opinion, if you look
at it country wide, you got Cali, you got Texas,

(04:19):
and you have Florida where the dogs come from.

Speaker 1 (04:21):
In my opinion, do you remember watching those guys playing
high school football when you were growing up? And did
any of those guys you try to emulate?

Speaker 2 (04:31):
Yeah? I think RG three did an amazing job for
me and, like you know, setting a great example of
what a dual threat quarterback should be. I mean I
won the hets Be in twenty twelve. He won it
in twenty eleven, So I got to watch that crazy
year of a high flying, throw it around the yard
kind of offense and a guy that could run that

(04:51):
track speed everything that he had complete package for what
you know, in my opinion, a college dual threat quarterback
should be.

Speaker 1 (04:58):
Did you ever see any of those guys high school
football or just watched them when the highlights came on?

Speaker 4 (05:03):
Tell?

Speaker 2 (05:03):
I would say I watched Kyler's career probably the closest.
I had a huge hand in getting him to Texas
A and M twenty twelve and thirteen. Whenever I was
at A and M, I saw this kid and I
had known his dad, obviously a legendary quarterback at Texas
A and M and his own right, But Kyler, you know,
I saw this kid who was ingrained and molded to

(05:26):
be exactly where he's at today in his life. And
I think that's what his dad did for him to,
you know, get him to a place of high level success.
And if you know anything about Texas high school football,
I would say his resume and what he did makes
him hands down the best Texas high school football player
to ever play quarterback later ever in the state of Texas.

(05:48):
I think he lost. I don't know if he lost
the game game maybe one, and I would have to
be checked. But like one, and what this kid did
made circles from not just Dallas, not just Houston, not Austin,
from the top of the tip to the bottom and
from east to west.

Speaker 1 (06:05):
Right, Well, what happened? Why was it Texas A and
M able to keep him?

Speaker 2 (06:13):
You know, I have my opinion on this and one
that I think is very correct in the fact that
that same time we signed two five star quarterbacks, so
we had Kyler Murray and Kyle Allen in that same class.
After I left the direction of the program I felt
lost a lot of its stability. You know, we had
really good coaches in our organization, but we didn't hone

(06:38):
in in detail and work and focus on one guy
who is going to be our guy. Right. They played
this game a back and forth and not like Kyler
Murray what we're talking about, lost one game his whole career.
You're not going to go give this guy the keys.
I don't care what he's doing. College is the time
as a freshman you mold men. You mold these guys

(07:00):
into what you want them to be. When I went
to college, my dad shook Mike Sherman, shook his hand
and looked him in the eye and said, this is
where you take over and molding my son into being
the grown up that he needs to be one day.
And I think with that coach, someone lost a little
bit of what he was originally there to do. You
get a new contract, you go to the SEC, you

(07:20):
win twelve games, you get a Heisman winner, you're talking
about new stadium, you're talking about a new deal. Your
focus shifts from what the main thing is to a
whole bunch of bullshit, in my opinion, And they didn't
just hone in and they didn't give him the keys.
And I think a lot of that, to be said,
has to deal with Kyle Allen as well. I think
he made it very difficult behind the scenes for what

(07:41):
people didn't know to just give Kyler the keys and you,
in my opinion of where our program is now as
a football program, that is the one step and one
thing and mistake that we made that is keeping us
from being where we want to be, and especially during
that time, didn't have success.

Speaker 1 (08:00):
Because Kyler was supposed to be that was supposed to
be you. He was supposed to be that transition because
of what you started at SEC and we'll talk about
that Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa is what you actually did
down there. So that was supposed to be the next step. Okay,
Johnny built this, he has it going. Guess what, we
have somebody to still right in and keep it going.

Speaker 2 (08:19):
Boom right there in front of your face. I worked
my ass off behind the scenes and get Kyler Murray
to Texas saying them, loved him, love what he stood for,
loved who he was as a kid, loved that he
looked up to me at that point in time. No,
my how times have changed since then. But at that
point in time, the look I got in his eyes
when I hosted him around and took care of him,
was that he looked up to me as something he

(08:40):
wanted to be like me, right And I could see
that in his eyes as a kid. I have a
very mixed emotions and strong feelings about that with what
happened through it, And like I said, it comes back
to I think Kyle did a really good job of
playing good football. He was a very capable quarterback. You know,
he's still you know, behind Josh Allen a little bit
right now and working with him and has been right
next to him for a long time. So had said

(09:02):
something about his character, who he was as a football player,
albeit not all the accolades and everything you would expect,
but a very solid, fundamental football player.

Speaker 1 (09:12):
But when you watch Kyler transfer and then you see
what he did for the University of Oklahoma taking him,
I think he took him to the college football player
of both years.

Speaker 4 (09:20):
He went to the Heisman.

Speaker 1 (09:21):
Trophy and ouch, and you're saying, hold on, we let
that guy walk out the door. We hold on, And
then I think he'd have been successful in an offense.
Obviously with the head coach they had at Oklahoma, I think, yeah,
USC now Lincoln Lincoln Raley, and I think Cliff with it.

(09:42):
You know, Lincoln Lincoln Rally. And you see it like, well,
I don't really care what system it is. You see
how Kyler what he can do. He can throw the ball,
he can run, He's a due He's a true definition
of a dual threat quarterback. No my, how small he is.
I think a lot of people like kind of discount
of him. Maybe Texas saying them didn't realize what they
had because they're like, Okay, you walk out the door,
you only five whatever it is, you're not gonna be.

Speaker 4 (10:06):
And he catch fire?

Speaker 2 (10:07):
Did they not just learn it with me? Did they
not watch the five to eleven guy come and rock
the world and put it on fire? Right? They believed
in me, and that came from Cliff Kingsbury. That's where
I got mine from. That's where I got my confidence.
That's where I got my guy who believed in me.
Jake Spavatall was our offensive coordinator when Kyler was there,

(10:27):
and as I was in Cleveland, I was talking to
him quite a bit figuring out what the vibe was.
You know, I went back to games, you know, I
went and wanted to see Kyler and the mesh in
the field, just like wasn't there for cohesiveness? And you
know I remember talking to Jake about it and him
just kind of being like, I remember him saying this
that it's like kind of out of my hands. That
was like above the offensive coordinators right pay grade, which

(10:50):
only leaves one person left, head coach. That's all it leaves, right.
So whether it was, you know, speculating, but at the
end of the day, that's what I was told of.
What it was.

Speaker 4 (11:01):
What was your relationship like with Kevin Someone.

Speaker 2 (11:03):
My relationship with Kevin Someone was great. You know, he
was my dog. You know, he rode for me hard,
He went to bat for me, He went to war
for me in a multitude of different scenarios. You know,
I think where our relationship fell out a little bit is,
you know, how do you have a guy who's a

(11:23):
grown man who I look back on this now reflective
in this. You know, how do you have a guy
who's a grown man, you know, telling me what I
should do? Obviously my coach, my guy I'm looking up
to my head football coach, it's telling me to live
a certain way and put all this party in this
behind you. But if you know anything about Kevin Summons,
what he's doing behind the scenes, so from behind, from

(11:46):
my eyes, hypocritical.

Speaker 4 (11:49):
What we're forty forty club in New York.

Speaker 2 (11:52):
Yeah, we in the back room playing pool ways spades
with chilling coach is there. This is what he does.
So now looking back at it, it's hypocritical to me.
And our relationship is great and will forever be great.
And now I do not sit here today is a
judge of a man, a judge of a person who

(12:12):
helped get me to the point of where I wanted
to be in life. By no means whatsoever. I'm calling
a spade a spade, and I'm just going to be
and give the gods honest truth as what I know
it to be. That ruffles some feathers, so be it.
It's the way the world goes.

Speaker 1 (12:26):
Are you surprised that he hasn't got a head coaching job. No,
you're not surprised.

Speaker 4 (12:35):
Why.

Speaker 2 (12:38):
I think what may coach someone so great is no
longer really with him right now where his focus is?
You know, I think life has gotten the better of
him a little bit, and I'm a prime example of
And I want to sit up here and be a preacher,
you know. I don't want to sit up here and
tell anybody they're living wrong or anything like that, because

(12:59):
that's what he used to feel. Like me back in
the day, people would do that to me. So I
don't see the same spark. You know, I don't have
much of a relationship anymore with him anymore. We'll reach
out and talk like here and there, maybe once a year,
but not like I have the relationship with my other coaches.
And you know, my gut instinct and feel is and
I know this because of instances that happened when I left.

(13:25):
All right, I'm leaving to go to the draft, and
I'll paint a picture for you. It's two thousand, the
spring of twenty fourteen, December twenty thirteen, right in there
about December January. I'm getting ready to make this decision
on if I'm going to the NFL Draft or I'm
going to stay. And I found this out five years
later for my dad. But my dad went and had
a meeting with Kevin somethe and pretty much went to

(13:47):
Amanda Man and was like we'll take three million bucks
and we'll stay for the next two years. And my
dad says this is true. Is today as he did
when he told me he left. He did the same
thing that he did when Cliff Kingsbury asked him to
be the highest paid offensive coordinator of the year before.
And Cliff would have stayed with me another year and

(14:08):
we would have ran it back. We've gone for another one, right,
But he comes to someone he asked him for X amount.
Someone he had this ego about him that what we
built we was all him, right, and then you start
that next year. Okay, I leave, decided to go to
the NFL. This deal doesn't work, Kevin. Someone kind of

(14:29):
blows us off. We can do this without you type
of vibe. Okay. So the fall comes around twenty fourteen,
a m football season. Kenny Hill has named our starting quarterback.
We won our first five games of the year. We're
five and oh or top ten in the country. I
ain't getting no love in the program.

Speaker 1 (14:47):
Yeah, cause I'm thinking I remember hearing it and they
talk about Johnny who who because he had.

Speaker 2 (14:52):
Nouth Carolina five touchdowns first came in the season.

Speaker 1 (14:55):
Okay, okay, so you remember hearing it also, So hold on,
I want to make sure I want I got a
back to back it up. You said your dad went
to Kevin somebody. Yep, it says for three million dollars.

Speaker 2 (15:05):
We're staying for two.

Speaker 1 (15:06):
Now you do realize this is prior to nil agree
this old This is a.

Speaker 2 (15:13):
Backroom deal went on for thirty forty years before it
the same way that was happening when you was getting
recruited back in the day.

Speaker 1 (15:21):
And you guys that you know, y'all texting them got
money for it. I mean text ain't nobody got no
money like texting a nails. Y'all got the big dogs,
ring baby, y'all got the big dogs. And so three
million dollars if he had gone to any of the
boosters and say, you know what, Johnny, Dad said, he'll
stay for an additional two years if we just break
him off three mail.

Speaker 2 (15:41):
Just keep it cas s throw it somewhere. We'll get
it later. We don't need it right now. But from
my security, if something happens for two years down the
road and my dad did this without me knowing, I
ain't mad at them about it for nothing. It's the
way the business worked back then there was a bag man.
There was a bagman at LSU, there was a bagman
at Bama. There was a bad man at every school
around the country. If you were competing for a national title,

(16:04):
it was what it was, and it was always that
way until we're into the nil portion of everything now
the way it should be.

Speaker 1 (16:13):
In fact, if I ask you, said, Johnny, who's your
Mount Rushmore high school quarterbacks in the state of Texas?

Speaker 4 (16:20):
What four heads you put it on?

Speaker 2 (16:21):
Kyler Murray is for sure? Andrew Luck was really, really,
really good. Who else? Man? Who else? R G three
is up there? For sure? You can't leave RG three
off that. And oh man, tough, you got this young tough,

(16:45):
You can't. You can't label to four. I played against Baker,
so I didn't get to see him start at quarterback,
but we played Lake Travis his high school. I mean,
this is an impossible list. It probably takes five. The
best that I got to like be around. Andrew Luck
was a little bit before me. So from what I saw,

(17:05):
and I remember Kyler top notch. You know, I didn't
get the breeze days Stafford for the legacy he left
at Highland Park, and what you would hear about, and
nobody had an arm in the state of Texas like
him ever, So Kyler Stafford, for sure, I think you
have to throw RG three in there and winning the Heisman.
I think you have to throw Baker in there for
winning the Heisman. So you got what three Heisman Trophy

(17:28):
winners yep? And Stafford yep. Pretty good. And you go
to Kyler to me, to me, and he's younger than me.

Speaker 4 (17:37):
Wow, that's so.

Speaker 1 (17:39):
Let me ask you this, Johnny, your upbringing, what was
your upbringing like? And what type of kid with Johnny Manziel.

Speaker 2 (17:46):
Johnny Manziel was a really good kid, you know, up
until the time I probably got my driver's license fourteen fifteen.
You know. I grew up in Tyler, Texas, small East
Texas town about an hour and a half outside of Dallas.
My family came over from Lebanon and went straight to
East Texas. So I was like the fourth generation of

(18:07):
people that have been here in the States. I was
a baseball player. I wanted to be Derek Jeter. I
wore number two because of Jeter. I loved the Yankees
at that point in time in my life, and my
life was, you know, until I was thirteen, fourteen years old.
It was baseball tonight, every night Sports Center with the
Ogs back in the day, and I sat and I

(18:28):
watched every day every baseball. I loved it. And from
the time I was like eight years old on until
the time I was like fourteen fifteen, I traveled and
played baseball. I got in the car with my mom
My dad worked at a car dealership, so six days
a week, he was grinding, trying to, you know, make
life easy on us. And I felt very blessed that

(18:51):
I did have the ability to have an easy life.
You know. I think I put out this persona at
the time later that we were well off and wealth
in this and I think that was just at the
time something to say, maybe what I even truly believe
at that point in time. But get back to what
I was saying. I was a baseball player and traveled,

(19:12):
me and my mom my sister hopping the car and
we're going to Louisiana. We're driving all over Texas. We're
going everywhere to go play, travel and select baseball. As
a kid, I was playing a year up from my
age group. So I'm like, I'm in the deep end
and I'm holding my own and I always thought, even
to this day that baseball was my best sport, that
I was always meant and destined to be a baseball player.

(19:35):
And I think because I started so early, by the
time I got to high school, I was just burned
out of it. Football started to come in my life. Really,
what I vividly remember is the two thousand and five
Rose Bowl. And for Christmas Day, I wake up and
my dad has this number ten, Vince Young Texas Jersey.
I was a Texas longhorn freak, and I'm gonna sit

(19:58):
here and get a lot of hell from my aggies,
but like it is what it is, and I remember
this Christmas Day, might go to the tree see this
bench Young jersey with the Rose Bowl patch on it.
And after that it was really just like all football
from that game, that last drive, that cross into the
end zone by Vince. The confetti was the background on

(20:19):
my computer for four years with Vince. Rose Bowl was
the biggest to me.

Speaker 1 (20:24):
When you say you were a good kid, good kid
by of America or good kid just for Johnny.

Speaker 2 (20:31):
Manzaiah, good kid by one hundred percent percent of America.
I was raised the proper way. I was raised and
a strong, sturdy household. Both mom and dad there and
younger sister three years younger than me. You know, we
were we were religious. You know, we were a Christian family.
We went to church on Sundays. Sundays were our day

(20:53):
for you know, our family golf outings where my dad
and my sister would play, Me and my mom and
we would go play a scramble every Sunday. We were
very family oriented. You know, my time I spent with
my grandparents, my aunts, my uncles. We were a cohesive unit,
especially back then. And I think, you know, it's hard

(21:15):
because you look back at what you know me now
and you wouldn't expect that, which is why you asked
the question that you did. Because I didn't prove to
the world when I got on a world stage what
my morals and values and how I raised truly was.
And I think a lot of that shift started to
happen as I was fifteen, sixteen years old and I

(21:38):
was living and originally grew up in Tyler, Okay Earl
Campbell to Tyler, two Heisman Trophy winners in the same
the Tyler Rose Baby, and when I was about thirteen,
I mean in between my sixth grade semesters. So it's
like January of my sixth grade year. My dad comes in,
He's like, we're moving, does it? Just packs everything up

(22:02):
and we drive five and a half hours away to Curveville, Texas.
And Curveville, Texas is forty miles west of San Antonio,
out in the middle of the hill country. Beautiful, but
it's very country, you know. It's very little backwoods kind
of placed twenty thousand people and it's duly trucks and

(22:26):
farms and ranches and everything you would expect the Texas
town to be. And when I went there, life shifted.
It was like the old Johnny Manziel was there before
that move and then there was a completely new person
born after that. And I think that comes from like
when I got there and I first got to class
at this new school, I was nervous and I didn't

(22:49):
have any of my friends, I didn't know anything. It
was the most first time in my life. I think
I was really really uncomfortable in the situation that I
was in, and I created and took over a little
bit of a different persona in the sense of like
kind of where I get a little bit more of
my attitude a little bit more of this country place

(23:11):
where I felt like I had to. You know, I
stick up for myself, not even flax, I stick up
for myself. You know, I'm a new kid on the
block here. I ain't getting bullied around by nobody out here.
My dad taught me the right way that somebody wrongs
you in a sense, right, you can either try and
handle it the right way as a man, or if
somebody takes it too far down the line, I give
you full permission to do what you need to do

(23:33):
to protect yourself. And I felt like I was getting
bullied around and punked around a little bit, and I
started to stand on my ground, and with that became
a new like growth. There's a fifteen year old, fourteen
year old kid in life, and I remember that shift
like it was yesterday.

Speaker 1 (23:48):
You said, your dad all of a sudden packed the
family up and limp. How unexpected was it? Were there
any talk do you remember him, he and your mom
having a conversation about, you know, this is not working.

Speaker 4 (24:01):
I think we might need to move. I think there's
a better opportunity to over here.

Speaker 1 (24:04):
Was there ever any conversation that your family there or
the possibility that your family might leave Tyler and head
to where you ended up going.

Speaker 2 (24:12):
None. None came in one day and just that was it.
We got in the car, we went and that was it.
Never heard of conversation, never heard of talk, never really
got a reason, nothing. We were just doing it. And
as I know now, you know, my dad took a
better job in a different industry to be able to
go do that and do something that gave him more

(24:32):
time to be a father. Okay, you know, the car
business for him was a six day a week, six
in the morning until eight pm, grind. Like I got
to see my dad at dinner at night and then
on the Sundays that we spoke about, so you know,
I get two hours with him at night during the
week and then we get that Sunday family time that
we get and hopefully baseball doesn't overlap. So it was

(24:55):
very much a family decision to be able to spend
more time together and get a fresh start. You know,
my family and Tyler had a reputation about him, you know,
as being wild and being this party family and kind
of you know, the rumor I guess around East Texas
was the you know, it was a little bit my

(25:16):
fioso kind of vibe to it a little bit. This
is what I hear and what I was hearing as
a kid, Right, That's what I would hear when I
was in elementary school. Oh, you're a Manzell Like it
was always that kind of like we're judging you before
we even know who you are. So I think a
lot of that had to do with my dad tired
of hearing all the chirp about our last name.

Speaker 1 (25:36):
When did you, or if ever, when you were growing
up have an appreciation for what your dad was doing.
You mentioned that he worked six days a week, that
he left at six six am in the morning, he
came home at eight pm, and you guys had dinner,
so you basically got the dinner time. That was it,
and then you got Sunday golf outing. What did you
ever become reseentful that you weren't spending the quality time

(25:57):
with your dad and that he wasn't driving you around
to all these baseball games.

Speaker 2 (26:02):
I wouldn't say it was resentment. I would say there
was full blown anger at that point in time, back
in the day, like to the max, like I'm watching
other kids have their parents be there and stuff, and
it's a natural inclination to be able to be like, yo,
what's wrong with me? Why is my mom is a rock? Right?
Like my mom was, she never blinked, she never solid,

(26:23):
solid woman. And now that I look back at I
realized what my dad was doing. It takes a lot
of time and a lot of effort and a lot
of energy to be able to provide for a family,
especially when you get away from the nest egg and
the grandparents and everything and you go do it on
your own, so you know, for a long time, and
this is where me and my dad around this time

(26:43):
just started butting heads. And then this is where the
This is where the sneak, you know, this is where
the sneaking and the drinking, and this is where it
all kind of like starts to unravel a little bit.
And this is kind of at this point in time,
fifteen sixteen years old, where I start to go down
a path that you later see on a national scale.

Speaker 1 (27:02):
Do you believe had your father been around more frequently
that the Johnny manzil that started happening around fifteen sixteen
and would later cost you a lot of what you
had worked so hard for. Had he been around. Do
you believe this would have happened?

Speaker 2 (27:18):
No, I believe that life goes exactly the way that
it's supposed to go. So if he was around, it's
a big if, right, and it's a hypothetical type of
situation hard for me to answer. But I know now
all the bad parts of me make me exactly who
I am, right, All the failure that I've had in life, failure,

(27:41):
what I really fail on. I lived my dream by
the time I was twenty two years old. That dream
that I had when I'm sitting in that classroom in Curveville, Texas,
I accomplished at twenty two. Now, my dreams never were
to go be in the position that you were in
with a Hall of Fame jacket, and to be the
best NFL player ever. Very much felt like when I

(28:01):
got drafted and that I got a chance to start
in an NFL game, like my dreams were completely accomplished,
almost well. And that's just the way I truly feel,
you know. So my life, the good, the bad, and
everything in between, it went exactly the way that it
was supposed to go. To be sitting here with you today,
and I learned more through the failures than I ever

(28:23):
did through the rise.

Speaker 1 (28:24):
Ever you're growing up, you say, because you had played
baseball at started baseball at such an early age. By
the time you got to about fourteen fifteen, you had
completely burnt out on the game of baseball, so now
you transitioned to football. Was your size ever a problem
that did? A coach ever?

Speaker 4 (28:45):
Takes that?

Speaker 2 (28:45):
Johnny, you're just too small, souh Of course, of course.
I think that's a big reason why I didn't go
to the University of Texas. They wouldn't pull the trigger
on me and my size at any position. They wanted
me to play safety, Like safety safety me ain't got
a lot of white safeties out there.

Speaker 4 (29:05):
Shame no, no, no, they don't. They don't.

Speaker 1 (29:09):
So what I think I'm thinking, like, hold on, if
you too small to play, if he's five.

Speaker 4 (29:13):
Or eleven, how much you way coming out of high school.

Speaker 2 (29:15):
One hundred and seventy three pounds seventy five.

Speaker 1 (29:20):
But they didn't think you could play quarterback because of
that size. But they felt you'd be perfect for safety.
They saw athletic ability. Okay, they saw a special.

Speaker 2 (29:28):
Athletic talent and they didn't know what it was. And
to be honest, until I met George Whitfield and went
and started training with him. I didn't believe in myself
that I was a quarterback. Okay, you were an athlete.
I just wanted to play football. I would play receiver,
I played running back in high school. I played anything
that I could play to get on the field and

(29:48):
be with my dogs.

Speaker 1 (29:50):
I'm looking at you. In your high school career, you
passed over seventy six hundred yards. You had seventy six
total touchdowns in high school parade All America, Mister Texas football,
if you're if you're the mister football in the state
of There are certain states now, and this is not
a knock, but if you missed the football in North Dakota,
they don't hold the same weight as mister football in Florida, Georgia, Texas, California.

Speaker 2 (30:13):
If you're from North Dakota, maybe.

Speaker 4 (30:15):
Maybe who you're from North Dakota, you're absolutely right.

Speaker 1 (30:17):
But being missed the football in the state of Texas,
that means no matter what your size is, Johnny, everybody
should have been beaten down your door and not looking
at you say well he's only five to level one
seventy three.

Speaker 2 (30:31):
The world was perfect maybe it would have went that way,
but we both know that it's not, and that people
oversee greatness all the time. We do you, I mean
not necessarily you, but in immedia type people overlook great
inness all the time. People are still knocking down Rock
Party's door right now and all the heaters are coming through.
For what, mister irrelevant to a Super Bowl. I mean,

(30:51):
it's about identifying greatness in somebody, in their soul and
in their heart. It's more than just what you can
do with your hands and with your arms and with
your legs.

Speaker 1 (30:59):
Right I'm looking at the school's Oregon, Rice, Stanford, Iowa State, Baylor,
CSU of Colorado, State, Louisiana Tech, Tousta, Wyoming, in Texas,
A and M.

Speaker 4 (31:08):
And it's said, as I read that, you.

Speaker 1 (31:09):
Said that you de committed from Oregon because they had
Marcus Mariota and you didn't feel confident enough in yourself
that you could beat him out or you get an
opportunity to play.

Speaker 2 (31:22):
I didn't go to Oregon, not anything that had to
do with Marcus. It's really nice unies, Hey, that was
the reason I wanted to go two thousand and eleven,
I think was twenty ten cam Newton Auburn year they
played Michael James and the Ducks and Fiesta Bowl for
the National Championship. There's jerseys coming out. I'm committed. Whoa crazy?

(31:50):
And when I went there, they made my family. So
when I get into contact with Oregon and Trip Kelly,
they didn't give us, you know, the roll out, the
red carpet treatment to go visit. They're like, you want
to come up here on your dime and come to
this camp. We'll let you come in and we'll evaluate you.

(32:11):
And as I get there, meeting with Chip Kelly and
doing the whole deal that you do on a recruiting trip,
I get to the you know, we get to the
football portion of it where we're going out in the
field and I jog out to where I'm supposed to
go and there's this kid sitting there, six' Four hawaiian,
kid and he's in. LINE i, go, yo what's, up,
Bro you're playing receiver? Today and he looks at me

(32:32):
and he, Goes i'm playing. Quarterback AND i remember in
my head at that, Time i'm, Like i'm so. Fucked
i'm TOAs this. Kid so there was that initial reaction
and then as we go through the. Drills it's just
like boom boom boom boom boom. Boom Two Heisman trophy
winners before it ever. Happens just so good that when

(32:55):
we got off the field that, day we both got
offered at the same, time at the same, day AND
i committed on the. Spot there wasn't no doubt that
that's WHAT i wanted to. Do it had nothing to.
Do they could have had five six quarterbacks in that,
class and they told us they were going to take
three because they needed. Dead SO i knew that going into,
it AND i committed.

Speaker 1 (33:15):
Anyway oh so now you what About you said you
wanted to go To, texas but they didn't feel you
was big enough to play the. Position so was? IT, U, T,
a AND. M were those the only text of school
that you? Like considering?

Speaker 2 (33:34):
Frogs love. THEM i took a visit there and had
a buddy from high school that was going to school,
there AND i went. THERE i was, like, damn there's
a lot of girls up, here.

Speaker 4 (33:44):
And they parted To john if they PARTED. Tcu almost
every Year number one party schooled.

Speaker 2 (33:52):
FROGS i, mean, man it's. Crazy WHEN i was in high,
SCHOOL i was like this place is heaven On. Earth,
nice it's, Clean. Earls the football program, There damn.

Speaker 1 (34:03):
Jotty you don't mentioned nice and clean and talk about
girls and you ain't got the football.

Speaker 2 (34:06):
YET i at that point in, TIME i wasn't thinking
about football sharing. It i'm trying to go have a
good time in. COLLEGE i wanted to be like this
mix of Like entourage ON hbo and Like Blue Mountain
state and all these THINGS i was watching at the,
Time and WHAT i was ingrained in was just Like
i'm a party. BOY i just happened to be good

(34:27):
at football a little bit at that. Time you, know
my grind and focus and determination of the game didn't
come in UNTIL i got into trouble before my heightsman
year AT a AND M june of twenty. Twelve it
all kind of came to a halt WHEN i got
arrested AND i got arrested for going out To northgate

(34:47):
And College station and drinking too much and blacking out
and waking up in. Handcuffs and when that instance, happened
it was this meeting with coach someone and my mom
and my, dad and it was like you either figure
this out to day or over the next couple weeks
or your ass is out of here, gone and then

(35:10):
everything you work, for your, scholarship everything you figure it.
Out now as my family sits there in the room
and someone's looking at him just like we're looking at
each other right, now he's, like you, guys figure it.
Out and when that, happened my family moved To College
station and they moved in my backyard AND i pretty
much moved back in with my mom and my. Dad

(35:30):
and that was the moment that was, like all, right
do you hear what's going? On you're smart enough to comprehend.
This you may be fucking around with your boys and
doing what you think you want to, do but the
opportunity that's in front of you you are spoiling and
you need to get it. Together and that's When George
wodfield came into my life AND i. Went my mom

(35:51):
sent me To San diego with all the money they
probably had saved up for their little saving stuff and
sent me out there to work with this, guy and
they trusted. Him and WHEN i came, BACK i left
before that trip and getting. Arrested fourth on the depth
chart below the freshman who came in below the two
other guys that were above me in the. Class in eleven,

(36:13):
days WHEN i got back and we started training, CAMP
i was named the starter and handed the keys to
The TEXAS a AND M university football. Team that's how
much of a difference my focus and my passion and
my energy being put into something turned out to.

Speaker 1 (36:27):
Be if that situation you drinking to the point of blacking,
out do you remember anything about that night other than
going to the bar With.

Speaker 2 (36:38):
JAHOMIES i was Taking xanax back, then and it was
a very like weird time in my life WHERE i
was dealing with anxiety and all these things and emotions
that were going on THAT i didn't have any business
being able to handle on my. Own but from that country,
kid proud and tough and all these things THAT i prided,

(36:59):
MYSELF i wasn't asking for, Help. SHANNON i didn't ask
for help WHEN i was sitting In, Cleveland so why
AM i gonna do it When i'm in. College SO
i was a lost kid trying to figure, Out like you,
know after my first year at AN, m WHEN i
red shirted the end of that, YEAR i, said fuck,
This i'm done playing. FOOTBALL i was finding out how

(37:21):
to transfer TO tcu to play. Baseball that's how bad it.
Was after my red shirt year six and six we're
in The Big. Twelve i'm going To, Ames iowa and
all these LIKE i ain't the stadium THAT i wanted
to be playing. In and there's no disrespect to them.
Whatsoever The Big twelve is not THE. Sec and you

(37:43):
see it, now only two of them schools in The
Big twelve got into THE. Sec Four if you Had
missouri and an m only four that whole thing really got.
In so there's a difference in, program there's a difference
in stature of. Dudes any team can be a team
on a given, day consistency of a program and. Legacy you,

(38:05):
know there's only a couple of teams that got into
THE sec for a reason like.

Speaker 1 (38:08):
That let's just Say Johnny manzield is a high school
senior now And Coach prime is AT, SeeU And Coach
prime come, sit come down and talk to. You And johnny, said, Look,
johnny man with, YOU i see big things for you
and the, program and we need you to take us
to the heights of Where See you football can.

Speaker 4 (38:29):
Be would you be interested in playing For Coach.

Speaker 2 (38:33):
Prime without a doubts me and him Being texas, guys
you know he's up and. Prosper we've had a great
relationship for, years AND i think looking back on our relationship,
now he knew something special in me to the point
of where, he you, know would interjected my life at

(38:53):
times or send me a message or like really show
love that he didn't have to. Do and IF i
was a college kid looking, NOW i would Say TEXAS
a AND m is the best school in the, country
right Mass. A given number, TWO i would play for a,
man for a guy who's a, leader, amn for a
guy who carries himself the way that the prime, Does

(39:16):
and without a, DOUBT i would sign my life and
sit look at it from a different. Perspective IF i
was a father and my son was looking to go
to play for a, COACH i would, absolutely without a,
doubt unequivocally send him to coach.

Speaker 1 (39:31):
Bron you said you played baseball from a very young
age until you about fourteen to. Fifteen how good of
a baseball player Was Johnny? Manzail really? Good what was
it you to? Play played short?

Speaker 2 (39:42):
Stop? OKAY i played middle m field AND i loved
it like it was it Was it for, ME i
was a GOOD opo, Hitter LIKE i felt LIKE i
fielded the ball all. Right you, KNOW i had a
couple offers out there And i'll remember exactly what they
were at the time because football was so you, know
overshadowing everything in my. Life but if you ask anybody

(40:05):
that was around me from the TIME i was twelve to,
sixteen they would say baseball was like you can, play you.

Speaker 1 (40:10):
Played you played a shortstop because you Said gita was
your favorite. Player you wore the number. Two so is
that kind of how you tried to model your? Game
you do realize that Like gita was Like, christine what's your?

Speaker 2 (40:23):
Game were talking about the one off the field with
the baskets and the love notes and everything you? Had
are we talking about? That we're talking about el?

Speaker 1 (40:32):
Capitation did he did a great job of like you
knew what he was, doing but you didn't really know
what he was.

Speaker 2 (40:40):
Doing but always if you, know you, know you.

Speaker 1 (40:43):
Know so you modeled your. Get you modeled your game After.
Jeter so you you're, Like, Okay i'm gonna be a.
Shortstop i'm gonna be beloved because.

Speaker 2 (40:51):
They gave me the pen. Stripes, man that's on the
pen stripes on A yankee, stadium the whole. Thing so
how good.

Speaker 4 (40:57):
Would you call? It your high school baseball?

Speaker 2 (40:59):
Team school baseball team was pretty. Good we had a
kid that was two years older than me by the
name Of Logan vic and he ended up committing To.
Baylor he was a all state kind of. Guy left
the crazy power WHEN i played and got the varsity
freshman in sophomore. Year he played, shortstop so they kind

(41:22):
of just plugged and played me, wherever and if he,
PITCHED i took his. Position but we kind of played
off each other and kind of WHEN i was in
high school AND i saw him how good he. Was
he was better than, me and he did things on
a baseball field THAT i saw On he did that every,

(41:43):
day and he hit some bombs that took out light
poles and did the whole. Thing he was that. Guy
and WHEN i saw him and WHERE i, WAS i
always THOUGHT i ain't gonna be. THAT i really truly
was like he And i'm. Good i'm, good BUT i ain't,
That AND i was here today and give you the
honest truth of what it. Is so that was kind of,

(42:03):
like all, right you gotta go do all of this
just to get a fifty sixty percent of your scholarship
paid for. It get me on a grid? Iron?

Speaker 4 (42:12):
Right you?

Speaker 1 (42:13):
WERE i read you were selected by The padres in
the twenty eighth, round the eight hundredth and thirty seventh
pick of twenty.

Speaker 4 (42:19):
Fourteen so why didn't you just you, know you have to?
Go but you could have, like, HEY i.

Speaker 1 (42:24):
SIGNED i, Mean i've been pretty good on the, resume, like,
Hey padres took your.

Speaker 4 (42:27):
Boy after you, know BUT i ain't feel like DOING
i played.

Speaker 2 (42:30):
Football sounded like my. Dad my dad still to this
day is, like are you gonna go back and maybe
go To padres and play baseball or. Something i'm, Like,
pops come, on, man pump those.

Speaker 1 (42:42):
Bags but see you look At. Kyler kyler was what
the eighth pick in the. Draft why do you think
guys a lot of guys choose football over baseball considering
the money that baseball players. Make show hate just got some,
Honey Aaron judge makes Forty we see what might trout

(43:06):
what and it's. Guaranteed why do you think guys choose
guys that are really good and can play both choose
football over?

Speaker 2 (43:14):
Baseball because this ain't on all that runs in the.
WORLD i can do the same with seven hundred AS
i can do with. Fifty that ain't it for. Me
i'm not motivated by the money like. That so for,
me it's about the. Rush for, me it's about the,
thrill same THRILL i got walking into a nightclub or
partying or this or. That i've been a guy of.
Thrills and when you meet me in that a, gap

(43:35):
or you meet me in a hole somewhere on a
draw play AND i mix you up so, bad you're
in a Pretzel like that rush to, me people trying
to come after me and knock my head, off and
being able to get away and be slippery and do
WHAT i did best in, College that's what made me feel.
Alive that's what made me feel.

Speaker 1 (43:51):
Whole you graduated early in high school In road In Texas,
city and why did you feel you Needed did you
feel you needed to do that or you were just
trying to get away from your, Hometown like, MAN i
got to.

Speaker 2 (44:04):
Get over as far as 'en rolling, early saw the
greats doing. IT i saw the good quarterbacks in every
class were getting on campus early to figure it. Out
SO i would say it's fifty to fifty on IF
i just wanted to get away from the fam and
get my own car and being my own, apartment AND
I i was in a hurry to grow, up which
is what a lot of people do in. Life and
sitting back, NOW i realized that you should enjoy your

(44:26):
time from twelve to your sixteen seventeen years. Old and
it's only getting worse with nil and what's going on
in the. World people are treating thirteen fourteen year old
kids like brands and. Businesses and you, know you see
all these kids the social media and they're trying to make,
money like the love of the game is not about.
That and now we're at the point where in college

(44:47):
you're getting exposure to millions and millions of dollars and
it's taken away the passion and the love for what
it truly. Is if you would have handed me a
million dollars in my freshman year WHEN i got TO
a AND, m you'd have seen some.

Speaker 4 (44:59):
Shit you might not have made your fund more, Year,
JOHNNY i might.

Speaker 2 (45:03):
NOT i definitely wouldn't be sitting In New york with that.
TROPHY i probly would have seen some shit for.

Speaker 1 (45:10):
Sure when you when you had your visit To, texas
saying them and you walking around on campus and they
normally have they pull out their, best you, know the
best ladies to show you a. Ride they call them,
postesses and to show you a, round and you walking
around on campus and you look at it Ride you're, like,
Yeah i'm coming.

Speaker 2 (45:26):
Early it's never about the girls for me back, then
really to the, Max i've always been a guy that
like rides for my, dogs AND i enjoy the time
with my. Bros and just, drinking you, know smoking or
doing whatever like that was always what it was for.
Me so WHEN i went on my VISIT, TEXTA a AND,
m they stuck me with two of the biggest party
boys on the whole, team and they showed me the

(45:46):
time of my, life to the point of Where i'm
in the back of the uber And I'm i'm, sick
LIKE i had too many. Shots i am lit off my,
ass AND i remember being in this uber and being, like,
MAN i gotta throw up and not let these guys
see any sign of. Weakness SO i just remember being,
like all, Right i'm gonna see you boys. Later i'll

(46:07):
see you in the. Morning AND i don't even make
it to my. ROOM i don't even make it back
to the. Room you, know my family were in these
joined rooms at this hotel and college, station The, Hilton
and they wake up the next day And i'm just
outside the, door just and that to. ME i woke
up the next. Day they're kind of pushing. Me i'm like,
Success i'm, ALIVE i am, good And i'm sitting going

(46:31):
to Meet Coach sherman at this taco Place fago AND
i roll in by ten minutes late and he looks
at me And i'm just white as a. Ghost And
Coach sherman had been With Brett farv In Green. Bay
he knew what he, knew what he, knew what was,
up and he was so good that he was just
like he knew he. Knew when he put me with,

(46:52):
them two dudes From San antonio WHO i looked up,
to it was on and he had, Me i'm in the.
Boat i'm in the.

Speaker 4 (47:02):
Boat when.

Speaker 1 (47:07):
You go back and you mentioned your freshman, year where
did you think you red? Shirted what was it about?
That was it not being able to play as much
as you thought you? Would what transpired In johnny's mind
that kind of lt him down the path of where
he Was.

Speaker 2 (47:22):
WITHHITTED i just remember the first, day going out to
that first practice in the morning and you get like one.
Rep is that like young, kid he's there. Early this
is spring, practice so you, know all the guys are
getting done with the. Season then you're in the spring
AND i get that one rep and he's, like come,
back And i'm like seven step drop AND i let
this ball, Go, shannon and it might have hit the

(47:44):
top of the endoor this. Thing AND i remember Coach
sherman had his place sheet and he threw it down
and he, goes the fuck was. That i'm nervous these Ball,
tannehill like these balls aired up like rock. HARD i
need That brady look cushion for the fushes and my. Confidence,

(48:09):
MAN i went from mister mister football At texas to
getting in here and being, LIKE i don't throw it
Like Jamille showers, does the guy who was Behind, TANNEHILL
i don't throw it like. Him that ball don't come
out and they don't come out like that with. Me
so then you start to see and you're comparing yourself
to other. People and as that year went, on you,

(48:30):
know being the bottom of the barrel, guy you, know
being the guy that is getting ragged on by the
seniors and. This And i'm traveling Like i'm, QUIET i
don't talk. MUCH i kind of stay in my. LANE
i don't ask. QUESTIONS i ain't trying to better myself
at that, Point i'm just losing confidence week by week
and just kind of like getting to the point Where

(48:51):
i'm like. Lost is football WHAT i really? Like that
question was in my life from that point.

Speaker 4 (48:58):
On, Wow.

Speaker 1 (49:01):
So from that point, on you always question whether it
the importance of football or ABILITY i was about to
take Is johnny does he possess the ability to be
what many believe he could?

Speaker 4 (49:16):
Be so you had self. DOUBT i had self doubt for.

Speaker 2 (49:19):
SURE i had self doubt AND i didn't get self
assurance of myself and WHAT i was as a football
player Until Cliff kingsbury walked in my. Life and a
funny story About Cliff kingsbury THAT i tell to. Everybody
we've been locked in like this since the first DAY
i ever met. Him, Kurveville, texas is forty miles an,
hour you, know away From San, Antonio So Cliff kingsbury's

(49:44):
at The university Of houston would. Coach someone has Case.
Keenum there obviously another Real texas high school football. Legend
and seven o'clock our practice starts In. Kerrville we ran
a very very military drill style of football, program, values

(50:05):
and a lot of what we talk about At TEXAS
a AND m was how my high school football program.
Was So kingsbury comes down in the field that first
morning And i'm getting ready to warm up and he
comes up to me and he daves me up and he,
goes what's, up, BRO i just want to keep it
a buck with. YOU i don't have any scholarships to give.
You every single coach THAT i walk into a building
In San, Antonio texas said you need to get your

(50:26):
ass in the car and come down here and watch
this kid. Practice so he, Goes that's exactly What i'm.
Doing AND i just want to let you Know i'm
here to watch you ball out for a practice and
one day our past will cross. Again i'm. Nervous this
is If kingsbury played At Texas. Tech this is another
legend in Min, YEAH i had a real. Guy he
wouldn't know whatever you want to, say but he was

(50:49):
him at one point in, time AND i didn't know
the significance of what that talk is a high school
kid was going to lead to being on a stage
In New york four years, later three years. Later but
he kept it real with me like. THAT i was, like,
YO i can't take. You i'm here to watch you.

Speaker 4 (51:06):
Ball.

Speaker 2 (51:07):
Wow and after that meet and after the day of the,
workout he's just sitting over there on the side and
he just gives me one of these like you crush.

Speaker 1 (51:14):
Out if you would have set out your entire season
of a, freshman do you think you would have learned your?

Speaker 2 (51:18):
Lesson Ooh. NO i think it took me having the
biggest fear of my entire. Life failure come to, fruition
and failure wouldn't have happened for me IF i didn't
get to the success THAT i. Got does that makes? Sense?

Speaker 4 (51:39):
Yes do you think they would have disciplined?

Speaker 2 (51:41):
YOU i think they could. HAVE i think WHAT i
was doing in the off season and WHAT i was
doing in my workouts and WHO i was as a
team leader coming back with A heisman, trophy they should
have been. Me they should have suspended. ME i was Doing,
hey you can't smoke, weed big give me the fan

(52:04):
of give me the fan of what you got to talk.
About it's about a box of white out white, graves
swinging and slowing. Down nothing over. Here this is what we're.
Doing and like from, That, okay so you win The. Heisman,
yeah we come, back we Play oklahoma and The Cotton,
bowl smashing. Smack, okay after, that that night after the

(52:24):
game is the Infamous sparklers in the mouth with the
dom and The burberry. Scars right after this is where
like it, starts and it's like we just smacked our
old rival in The big twelve And Jerry world in
front of one hundred and five On New Year's. Day
this is where the, ego this is where the you,
know this is where you shift from you, Know Johnny

(52:46):
manziel and The johnny, football the little, transition and then
from there it's, mister It's johnny. Football.

Speaker 4 (52:52):
Yeah and now there's no more self.

Speaker 2 (52:53):
Doubt now there's no more self doubt BECAUSE i know
What i'm doing in. PRACTICE i know What i'm doing
WHEN i see cover two And i'm the whole. Shot
i'm toying with them in. Practice they're, mad THEY i,
mean the only thing they have on me in, practice
and the setting That i'm seeing the live rep bullets
fire is they can't tell when a sack happens in
practice because we ain't sacking people. Right and you know

(53:17):
in a, game you know, Practice i'm running and give
somebody a little move And i'm just looking at him
LIKE i ain't no way you're making that tackle on the, field.
Buddy you can hop and hoop around and do your
whole defensive thing all you. Want and you know out
there under them, lights no chat ain't gonna, happen, brother it.
Ain't it's not gonna, happen, Right and that's not me

(53:38):
speaking out of my. ASS i got, film, RIGHT i
got stuff to show you that LIKE i was more
than what you THOUGHT i, was especially as a running.
Quarterback john c fourteen hundred yards rushing in my freshman.
Year it's documented.

Speaker 1 (53:55):
The first freshman IN ncaa history to pass for three
thousand yards and carry and rush four thousand, yards and
the same season the first player to pass for three
hundred yards of rush four hundred yards in the same
game three, times Broke Archie manning's forty three old record
for five hundred and toty yards except of a total
offense with five seventy six. Owns all these freshman's record
eleven and two ranked number five best since nineteen fifty.

(54:15):
Six Beat oklahoma forty one thirteen in The Cotton, bowl
produced five hundred and sixteen yards of offense four, touchdowns
with the record two hundred and twenty nine yards. Rushing
when you, look when you, do you understand at the
time what you're actually.

Speaker 2 (54:30):
Doing when THE Espn heisman list came out about a
week eight, nine that is WHEN i started to kind of,
see like, whoa because this, is you, know my life
growing up my boys WAS ncaa, football the video, game
the road to, glory the road to The, heisman creating

(54:53):
a player and being able to go do these. Things
pick your, school go to the you, know do all of.
That and Now i'm living in, right so the focus
doesn't shift to like getting The heisman and just focuses
on like taking this team the heights that we haven't been,
before and when you walk Into, Tuscaloosa alabama and do
what happened that, day something that leaves a legacy twenty.

(55:15):
Twelve it's twenty twelve years later WHERE i walk down
the street every day in my life and somebody comes
up and dips me up and goes fifteen and a
half point Underdogs. Alabama will never forget that day for
the rest of my. Life that's what kind of impact
that day hat on college. Football AND i hear it every,
day see it every.

Speaker 1 (55:31):
Day you See alabama on the schedule and you're on
The heisman watch. List you mentioned your fifteen point underdogs
that you understand What alabama. Is that's coach Saban you
know the dogs that he has on that. Roster you
know the dogs that he sends to THE nfl every
year multiple what's going through your? Mind do you ever, think,

(55:51):
man IF i can go To, alabama IF i can
go To tuscaloosa and Beat. Bama, ooh they got to
to take. NOTICE i can't think like.

Speaker 2 (55:58):
That can't think like that and be successful because you're
putting pressure on yourself that's. Unneeded, OKAY i got ninety
five percent of the country the Saying alabama's gonna beat.
Us what do we have to? Lose? RIGHT i remember
being on the bus on the way of the game
and putting on the movie three. Hundred this part comes
on where it's give to them nothing but take from.
Them every single, thing, Everything and that was my mindset

(56:23):
going into the game that like everybody in this stadium
expects you to. Lose everybody in the state is rooting against.
You we got maybe twenty thirty thousand Loyal aggies scattered
through about in the. Stands we already lost two games that.
Year what's the third gonna? Do you? Know we're out
of THE sec, Title we're out of you, know the
national championship. Conversation let's just try and go. Ball And

(56:45):
Cliff kingsbury put together an unbelievable game plan for us
offensively that highlighted our, strengths that kept us from being
too vulnerable in a defense like. That and for the
first half of that, game they don't know what the
fuck is going. On we're running option with go routes
and all we are just unleashing The Cliff kingsbury like

(57:07):
creativeness of a football playbook for an air. Raid you,
know this wasn't Old Mike leach air. Raid this wasn't
anything That lincoln was doing. Wherever this was just its
own subtle thing or own you, know a particular, thing
right that Was taylor to me being able to run
the ball the way THAT i could as well as
having an unbelievable like offensive line to be able to

(57:29):
handle what they were throwing to. Us luke Jokl Jake,
Matthews cedric a. Boy these are all first round picks
in THE nfl and some really really solid, players.

Speaker 1 (57:38):
Right, WOW i forgot you guys had that kind of offensive. Line,
yeah so that's why they were able to hold. Up
joko was the number two pick in the. DRAFT i
Think Jake matthews with a top ten pick in the.

Speaker 4 (57:47):
Draft you guys were.

Speaker 2 (57:49):
Loaded Mike Evans swoops was very. Underrated Mike evans and
that's somebody that. Man what a brother to. Me, Man
it makes me even emotionally even think about. It we
got to come in at the same time in red
shirt and that red shirt year we were tearing their
ass up on The scott so much THAT i went

(58:11):
to my locker one day later in the year and
they took my red jersey so they couldn't hit, me
and they put a black jersey on me to be
able to smack me in. Practice because me And mike
were doing our thing we were. Doing we were starting
that recipe at that. Pot we were starting to cook
and then as that year goes, on that red shirt
freshman year that we played. Together you start to see

(58:32):
a kid who's like a man amongst boys out there
and like really six' five with, that frame like he
was always what, he was but that confidence that started
to grow. In him me and him had this telepathy
same way you probably had with a quarterback back in,
the day where it's just like that was a, route, right.

(58:54):
Quick easy he, knew everything and me and him had
that relationship that was like so special and it will
never be taken. From us, YOU know i can sit
here and talk to him and still do the. Same
signals it's twelve. YEARS later i can throw a. Peace
sign he's gonna go to the crib is what that means.
Every time so, you know to have a special bomb

(59:15):
with somebody, like that, that kid, that guy that man
means means the fucking world.

Speaker 1 (59:20):
To Me when alabama started to, come back you looked
at reporter, you Said f alabama sabor and that you
were going.

Speaker 4 (59:26):
To score why were you?

Speaker 1 (59:27):
So confident why because, the crowd the crowd had gotten back,
in it, they're going hey wire defense just.

Speaker 4 (59:35):
A freshmen why.

Speaker 1 (59:37):
Were you so confident that you were going to get
this football and you were going to go down and feel.

Speaker 2 (59:42):
The, score yeah well the first you know half of,
that game, you know, first quarter were up twenty. To
nothing so that stadium you can hear a. Pin Drop
and tuscaloosa doesn't get like that. Very much. IF ever
i mean you can count on both your hands how
many times they've lost since twenty ten for the. Most,
Part yes so confidence in what we. Were doing, you

(01:00:02):
know are we lost our first game of the Year, to,
florida cool first game of. The. Year whatever then we
get UP on lsu and we end up blowing that
GAME where i feel like we really should. Have won
that was our turning point in. The season, after that
we started to get together and come together that we
didn't want, to be, you know the weak link of.
This team we needed that offense and who we had

(01:00:24):
to be the catalyst to be the center point of.
That team and we needed our defense just to kind of.
Hold on so as much As the tuscaloosa In the
alabama game is about me and, the offense it's not
THE way i look. At it our defense got, multiple
stops got to pick late on like the last drive

(01:00:45):
is there on the eight yard line to go in
and take. The lead that. Changes things we get, a
pick we get the, ball out and then there's fifty
seconds left in. The game we are on like third.
And seven saban has a, Time out we run a,
run play we get. Like four we're backed up on our.
Own twenty so it's. Punt time now we're gonna punt

(01:01:06):
it TO who, i mean could HAVE been i could
Have Been, amari cooper whoever they. Have back there was
a menace and we had put this play in a
whole week of a special team's punt scenario where we
go on the. Hard count it's third, and four we go,
hard count, they jump we, touch them, first down. Might

(01:01:27):
drop so you have. Your offense what we did in the,
first half we scored twenty in the. First quarter we
only scored nine the rest of. The game we're hanging
on for. Dear life you know the plays that we
made on that one. Score drive the six points we
scored the second half was off, a turnover wheel route down,
the sideline dine, corner route next play dome two plays

(01:01:49):
touchdown like very opportunistic and going with the flow of.
The game and then you seal the game with the special.
Teams play so you, got, offense defense. Special teams we
walk in another locker Room in tuscaloosa and we burned that.
Thing down total, team win, total completely without, a doubt total.

Speaker 1 (01:02:08):
Team win if they Have The College football playoff in,
twenty eleven you got HAVE and A and m.

Speaker 2 (01:02:16):
Gets it do you believe y'all win the? National championship
we Gotta play? Bama, Again probably so that's another like knock.
IT out i think we have a very. GOOD chance
i think we. Got better and even From the, tuscalosa
Game the alabama game up Until The. Cotton Bowl The
cotton bowl is our best showing of the. Entire, year yeah,
oh yeah y'all put, it, together man and. We did

(01:02:36):
and that's just where. Are like that was the pinnacle
of what our team was, that year and we showed
it at the last game on the.

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Speaker 4 (01:03:07):
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(01:03:30):
tickets lowers. Price guaranteed obviously you wasn't, the hoysman but
you Go To new york For the heisman ceremony and
you're Up Against manta teo and did and you know
what transpired with all that situation? Being catfish did, you
guys did you guys talk to anything?

Speaker 4 (01:03:49):
About? That so how was he during?

Speaker 2 (01:03:52):
That? Time amazing and his parents and family the way
they were with. My family, you know you'll see my
dad and my mom and the videos the hysmand ceremony
with layer around. Their neck so it was a very,
you know we were close throughout, that, WEEK right i
thought his family. WAS amazing I thought manti. Was amazing,
YOU know i didn't know anything about whatever anything else

(01:04:12):
was until later from. The dock and, you know during
those times we even played against each OTHER when i
Was in cleveland and he Was In. SAN diego, i
think so we always had a. Good relationship, YOU know
i always respected him for, you know what he stood
for and who he was as a person and who his. Family,
Was right.

Speaker 1 (01:04:30):
I'm going back and up looking at guys that have
Won the heisman FROM. The sec you Look At, Joe Burrow,
Cam Newton, Tim, Tebow Kyler Murray. Baker mayfield you were
the first freshman to ever, win it and you ACCUMULATED
the sec record then forty six yards of a total,
lock beans where would you put yourself if We're having
if we're having a College and i'm not go TO
the nfl because obviously the guys with the, Prototypical size

(01:04:52):
but where would You think Johnny Manziel See heisman trophy
season would rank among those Guys, behind Burroughs, behind burrow
but in front, of camp no WHAT about i would.

Speaker 2 (01:05:07):
Say, for me in, My Opinion joe burrow's is probably
The best heisman season to. Ever happened and that's, just
like look at the numbers if it's not even a
comparison for and the swagger and what he did, it
WITH and i THINK it's i think it's a. NO brainer, i,
THINK yeah i agree Him and barry somewhere out there
at the top stand alone type. Of thing cam for

(01:05:30):
me is of. Cultural importance and, you know coming In
From Blynn junior college and Going, TO auburn i remember
that and they played The team OREGON that i was
committed to at, The time so it leaves an impact
and the memory. On ME and I Love cam newton to,
the max love what he, stands for love what he what,
He's about love him to death and Always have he,

(01:05:53):
Knows that AND so, i think, You Go, JOE burrow
i think You, know cam And then i'm right, below
THAT and I respect Baker's and kyler's and you can
nitpick all this all, you want because at the end of,
the day it's all about getting to that Stage In
new york and getting. That trophy, right now you're splitting
hairs on who's greater, than who and all collectively as,
a whole we're, fucking Badass.

Speaker 1 (01:06:14):
Right this concludes the first half of. My conversation part
two is also posted and you can access it to
whichever podcast platform you just listen to part. One on
just simply go back To club shashay Profile and i'll see.

Speaker 4 (01:06:27):
You there