Johnny Manziel praises Texas A&M leadership, offers help amid coaching search: 'I would love nothing more'
Manziel gave Texas A&M's leadership a vote of confidence before offering a helping hand
By
Dean Straka
•
1 min read
The Jimbo Fisher era at Texas A&M ended Sunday with the Aggies firing Fisher in his sixth season, swallowing a buyout north of $77 million that will be paid to the former coach through 2031. Despite championship expectations accompanying Fisher's tenure, Texas A&M remains without double-digit wins in a single season since former quarterback Johnny Manziel's run to the Heisman Trophy in 2012 when the Aggies finished 11-2 in their first year of SEC membership.
Well, it seems the former Texas A&M star signal-caller is ready to step in and aid his alma mater as the Aggies begin their search for Fisher's replacement.
"I have faith in the [Texas A&M] leadership to put somebody in place to get us to where we need to be," Manziel wrote on social media. "The pieces for success are in the building. However I can help in any capacity, I would love nothing more."
Though it's been a decade since he last donned a Texas A&M uniform, Manziel's legacy is cemented as of the most talented players to ever come through the program, let alone play college football within the state of Texas. The Aggies went 20-6 in his two seasons as QB1 (2012-13) as Manziel passed for 7,820 yards and 63 touchdowns while rushing for 2,169 yards and 30 touchdowns on the ground. His opinion, if called upon, would likely hold some weight in the search.
Already linked to the Texas A&M coaching search is USC senior offensive analyst Kliff Kingsbury, who served as Manziel's quarterbacks coach in College Station during his Heisman campaign in 2012. Kingsbury's success with Manziel led to him landing the Texas Tech coaching job in 2013, which he held until he was dismissed after the 2018 campaign. Kingsbury also had an NFL stint as coach of the Arizona Cardinals from 2019-2022.
For the meantime, Aggies assistant Elijah Robinson will serve as Texas A&M's interim coach for the team's remaining regular-season games against Abilene Christian and at LSU, plus the team's to-be-determined bowl game. But it goes without saying that Texas A&M's next hire will be pivotal, and Manziel would love some influence.
