Johnny Football Wins Heisman
 

NEW YORK – Johnny Football is now Johnny Heisman. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M's 20-year old quarterback, became the first freshman in the 78-year history of the award to win the Heisman Trophy Saturday night.

The kid with the golden arm, feet and nickname became the award's second-youngest winner. Manziel cashed in on the Heisman momentum created four weeks ago when A&M upset then-No. 1 Alabama 29-24. After posting 345 yards in total offense at Bryant-Denny Stadium, we began to know the intimate details of Johnny Football.

The Kerrville, Texas native whose high school games were a slice of Americana – “Friday Night Lights,” Manziel called them – eventually captured the hearts and minds of everyone who mattered, including Heisman voters.

Before his 20th birthday – Manziel's was Thursday – the quarterback broke the single-season SEC total offense record held for only two years by 2010 Heisman winner Cam Newton. Twice he broke the single-game total offense record. Manziel became the first SEC player, first freshman ever and fifth FBS player to throw for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000.

“I like being the face of the team,” he said.

Maybe, but the best player in America visited Central Park on Saturday and was barely recognized.

That said more about New York than it did Manziel. Manziel became the third straight Heisman winner with Texas roots. Auburn's Cam Newton (2010) won a national junior college championship in his only season at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas. Baylor's Robert Griffin III (2011) is from Copperas Cove, Texas.

This year's winner was once committed to Oregon, but had second thoughts, deciding to stay home where his family and friends could see him.

“I'll sit here until I'm blue in the face and say Texas high school football is the best in the entire country. They put out a ton of recruits,” Manziel said. “You see the movie ‘Friday Night Lights'. Kerrville was a lot like that. The town was closed down for a high-school football game.”

Now he is the toast of the Big Apple.

“Tell Chip [Kelly] he did all right,” A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said earlier in the season.

Without Manziel, Oregon's coach ended up with his own redshirt freshman at quarterback. Marcus Mariota should be a Heisman contender next season – with Manziel in the mix, of course. Manziel's win also continued an underclassman trend. In fact, the last senior to win the award was Ohio State's Troy Smith in 2006.

There was a definite spiritual feel to this year's finalists. Third-place finisher Collin Klein of Kansas State got engaged to his now wife without a first date. He had his first kiss at the altar in July, honoring a promise he made to himself at age 14.

Notre Dame's Manti Teo lost his grandmother and girlfriend the week of the Michigan State game. The native Hawaiian wore a set of traditional congratulatory leis to honor his homeland. Teo had the second-most first-place votes (321) and third-most total points of any runner-up in history.

Manziel feels redeemed after an offseason incident. He was cited after a fight outside a bar and for giving a policeman a fake ID. The details eventually emerged. This year's Heisman winner had to undergo drug and alcohol counseling and his subject to random drug testing, according to the New York Times.

“Without a doubt I definitely thought there was a time when I didn't really know where I was going to go from there,” Manziel said shortly before the ceremony. “My fate was kind of up in the air.”

The town that embraced Broadway Joe now has Johnny Football to celebrate. A year ago he was a scout team quarterback. As of late August, he was locked in a quarterback battle with sophomore Jameill Showers. Manziel then lost his first start Sept. 8 to Florida, but the coaching staff knew it had something special.

The only drawback?

“The ability for him to understand we've got 10 other guys on the field that can help him win the game,” Sumlin said this season. “He doesn't have to make every play himself.”

Although sometimes it seems like it.

Both him and Te'o were worthy and even though I'm a fan of the defensive side of things, I'm fine with it going to the QB this time, Te'o's stats weren't completely insane. Like I said though, could've gone to either.

Now the question; can he win another??

i def thinks its possible, but its gonna be tough. Gonna have tougher competition next yr with younger guys like mariota and braxton miller getting more experience

Can't wait to hear my cousins brag about this one. Definitely deserving, and I didn't even feel it was close to be truthful.

funny how probably none of them will have any impact whatsoever in the NFL. The whole Heisman award is just an ESPN circle jerk in my opinion.

here lately most heisman award winners usually flop in the nfl. RG3 is only one so far proving me wrong

Yeah that's why I'm not too devasted Te'o didn't win. I was surprised he was a "distant" second. At the old cliche goes defenses wins championships and Te'o is going to be prove that January 7, 2013. :approve:

Nicely done, kid. Now get ready for next year and prove to the voters that this wasn't a "one and done" thing.

I was rootin' for Te'o, but Manziel was pretty awesome. Good for him.

Definitely the right choice in my opinion. As others have said, seeing Te'o win would have been cool because he is a linebacker, but seeing it go to Manziel who had amazing stats was the right pick.

Manziel deserved the award this year so congratulations to him.

This was an easy one.Johnny was the best college football player this year.Congrats

Really? Because Cam Newton, Charles Woodson, Bo Jackson, Barry Sanders all have won it...

Even if you look at the recent winners Newton, RG3, Tebow, Bush all have had success in the league. Even Ingram if he found a team that ran the ball would be successful. Look at the canidates who finished second even. Some great names Fitzgerald, Peterson (2x), etc.

i guess i should clarify, not alot of QBS who win the heisman pan out. newton and rg3 so far, but i cant remember much more here recently

Carson Palmer who won it in 02' did okay and Bradford is still starting but there are more that I could name off the top of my head who didn't pan out, Lienart, Smith, Couch, White etc. Heck I can remember way back when I was just a kid (1971) a guy from Auburn named Pat Sullivan won the trophy when there were better, more deserving players.

Fair enough on that point, but it really isn't the winners fault. Did they really think Troy Smith and Jason White would be great NFL QB's? Most had Smith moving over to WR and White played a few years before he retired. Christ he was 28 when he won the damn thing.