Former player Johnny Manziel took the college football world by storm during his time with the Texas A&M Aggies (2011-13). In a recent interview with Greg McElroy, Manziel shared his thoughts on NIL, which ESPN College Football posted on its YouTube channel on Monday, July 14.
McElroy opined that Manziel would have made quite a lot of money if he played during the NIL era of NCAA football. McElroy asked the former quarterback what his situation would have looked like if he had played in 2024.
“Yeah, I tell people this all the time when they ask me. I really feel like I would’ve taken a pay cut had I gone to the NFL,” Manziel said (timestamp 9:27). “that’s really what it would have been.”
McElroy, who was a quarterback for Alabama from 2007 to 2010, told Manziel that there was a certain purity in the way the game was played during their era of college football. He added that the emergence of NIL has, in some cases, resulted in friction among players in the locker room. Manziel echoed his sentiment.
“You nailed it,” Manziel said (timestamp 10:58). “There was a lot more purity in college football than you see these days. You didn’t have the opportunity to go and change schools. Sitting out a year during our time was catastrophic. You couldn’t, especially after being on the field, playing. If you transfer somewhere, you got to sit a whole year.”
Manziel added that players now have the luxury of changing schools every year through the transfer portal. He noted that there are guys now who have played for four or five different schools during their college football careers.
Manziel played with Texas A&M from 2011 to 2013 before he turned professional. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 22 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
His time in the NFL didn’t last long, though, as he played just two seasons with the Browns from 2014 to 2015.
Revisiting Johnny Manziel’s Historic Heisman Season at Texas A&M
Johnny Manziel made a name for himself in his freshman season at Texas A&M, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2012. He punished opponents through the air, recording 3,419 passing yards and 24 touchdowns. He also made an impact on the ground, running for 1,181 yards and 19 scores.
Manziel made history with that achievement as he became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. He joined John David Crow on the list of Texas A&M players who won the coveted prize.
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