Impact Of Johnny Manziel & His Pivotal Season Lingers Even If He Doesn’t

Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel attempts a pass during Wednesday’s practice. He continues to work out with the team as questions continue to surface about his amateur status. Mandatory credit: Troy Taormina – USA TODAY Sports

Johnny Manziel’s college football days could be behind him if the NCAA ultimately finds that allegations of him accepting $7,500 for autographs are true.

Though Manziel would likely be eligible to return no later than 2014, it is widely assumed he will declare for the NFL Draft no matter what happens.

Even if Manziel never plays another down for Texas A&M, he will still have been the best thing to happen to the program in the last 20 years.

That “if,” it should be noted, remains entirely questionable. No matter what evidence surfaces, this is still Mark Emmert’s NCAA – essentially left under the incompetent eye of Clancy Wiggum. The supporting cases – e.g.: Miami, Auburn, Oregon and Mississippi State – continue to stack up to document the NCAA’s enforcement impotence.

The accounts of video viewed by ESPN’s Joe Schad seems to have caused concern that perhaps Manziel is in jeopardy of missing some if not all of the 2013 season. While that seems entirely premature – specifically since the broker who allowed Schad to watch the video has said he would not cooperate with NCAA investigators – it is worth discussing considering the rampant speculation.

So what if Manziel never played again?

It would obviously be a tremendous disappointment for an Aggies fan base that believes it has a realistic shot at a national championship in 2013. Many fans would feel hurt and/or betrayed. They would feel as though Manziel let them down – and for what? $7,500 for rims? Manziel comes from money.

Then again, the scouting report on the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner’s off-the-field decision-making hasn’t exactly matched the excellence of his on-field abilities. Not that everything – or anything – Manziel has done this offseason warranted the magnitude of coverage it received.

When people look back on Texas A&M and its entry to the SEC, however, they will think of the expectation-surpassing 2012 season and how it immediately shifted the perception of the Aggies.

Properly placing Manziel’s currently incomplete legacy starts with pinpointing the position of the A&M program as it jilted the Big 12 in favor of greener pastures (read as you will) in the SEC.

A 2011 season that opened with conference championship aspirations instead featured soul-crushing, late-game defeats, including to nemesis Texas in what could be the last installment for decades in one of the game’s most stories rivalries. The campaign led to the Aggies firing coach Mike Sherman.

A&M scored big by hiring Kevin Sumlin – a hot-name coach who led Houston to national prominence. The move to the SEC also energized the fan base, though few had any real expectations for the first go-around.

A new conference home meant the Aggies had a unique foothold in recruiting the state of Texas – play in your home state while also competing in the vaunted SEC.

To take full advantage of the new positioning, though, Texas A&M had to avoid falling on its face in Year 1.

Sumlin’s toughest task, it seemed, came in replacing QB Ryan Tannehill, who the Miami Dolphins selected eighth overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. Tannehill’s replacement remained unclear until mid-August, when Sumlin announced that a redshirt freshman Rivals rated as a three-star prospect would get the first shot.

Manziel answered by shattering SEC records, including total yards of offense, surpassing the marks posted by Auburn’s Cam Newton and Florida’s Tim Tebow.

Bryant-Denny Stadium proved the site of Manziel’s young life. The quarterback led the Aggies into the home of No. 1 Alabama and out with a landmark victory, propelling A&M into the conversation about the nation’s elite teams. The win also launched and arguably sealed Manziel earning the Heisman Trophy.

It wasn’t so much that Manziel became the newest Heisman Trophy winner as how he did it that captivated the attention and imagination of recruits. He showed unbelievable poise combined with an innate ability to feel pressure and escape when necessary. He also teamed a cannon arm with remarkable accuracy. Oh, and when Manziel needed to tuck and run, his agility and quickness made him more Michael Vick than Newton or Tebow.

In the world of 18-year-old recruits, the college football map is narrow. Few kids care about what a program did 25 years ago. This is the “now” generation and the recruiting world showcases the tendency as much as anything.

What Manziel did in 2012 was make Texas A&M matter. He didn’t win games by himself, but he drew the most attention and the most headlines. In doing so, Manziel put College Station on the recruiting map.

He made Texas A&M cool.

It’s showing. And it will even if Manziel doesn’t play this season.

Offensive skill players are flocking to Sumlin. Defensive players see the possibility of winning SEC championships in Texas.

And College Station becoming a quarterback destination is a gimme. Ask Kyle Allen, Rivals’ top-rated dual-threat quarterback in the nation and the No. 27 prospect in the entire nation.

The hope Manziel inspired and the atmosphere he helped create will carry a lasting, indelible impact for Texas A&M.

Whether he takes another snap for the Aggies or not.