What Else Does Johnny Manziel Have to Prove?

Johnny Manziel is on the clock.

Today, the redshirt sophomore will formally make the most critical decision of his career: return to Texas A&M for a third whirlwind season or headline an impressive NFL draft class. He has taken his sweet time thus far, remaining mum during his Monday night appearance on ESPN and keeping the media in suspense for months. Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin anticipated an announcement before New Year’s Day. No dice. Manziel’s herculean effort in a come-from-behind Chick-fil-a Bowl victory was overshadowed by the possibility — albeit not certainty — that audiences were witnessing his final collegiate game.

Pundits and talking heads from the airwaves to the front pages think they have Manziel pegged, and why shouldn’t they? All signs seem to point to an early departure, from the blunt assertion of Ricky Seals-Jones to his rumored partnership with Select Sports Group. With his signature, the ticket out of College Station is all but punched. The Houston Texans are reportedly willing to deal their number one pick just to keep Manziel in the neighborhood.

No football player has captured the spotlight like Johnny Football, who became a household name with his 2012 defeat of the Alabama Crimson Tide. The gunslinger became the first freshman to hoist the Heisman Trophy and followed that record-setting campaign with an even better one. After putting up video game numbers a season before, Manziel topped his previous marks in passing yards, completion percentage, and touchdowns with a little less playing time. He is undoubtedly the most recognizable college football player today and an operator who broke the mold with his improbable acrobatics. What’s more, his stock value is sky high. A handful of NFL teams are in desperate need of a franchise quarterback, a cornerstone upon which they can build a dynasty.

Thus warrants the million dollar question: what more can Manziel possibly do as a college athlete?

You’d be hard pressed to find a Manziel skeptic. He has made his unequivocal case as a leader, launching Texas A&M into relevance during their first seasons in the vaunted SEC when all but a few counted the Aggies out. Even the stoic Nick Saban had high praise for him:

"[Manziel is o]ne of the greatest competitors, in all the years I’ve coached, that I’ve had an opportunity to play against."

Almost nobody is demanding a championship, least of all A&M. The value wrought by Manziel’s success, most notably the incoming recruiting class, far outweighs the equivalent promised by a trophy. His detractors quickly call upon a bevy of off-field scandals, with Troy Aikman adding last week that Manziel couldn’t afford to be “Johnny Goofball” in the pros. Even that last point could be losing steam. We saw another side of Manziel during his Pasadena media tour, who demonstrated a surprising level of professionalism during pregame coverage of the BCS title game. His unlikely allegiance to the Seminoles could be a turning point in his decision; these schools are no longer direct foes, but merely different vessels in pursuit of the same goal.

Let me throw a wrench into the works. What better way could Manziel show his maturity than choosing to stay at A&M?

An electric college career punctuated by spontaneity catapulted Manziel into the headlines, but his greatest strength is also a very real weakness. Kevin McGuire of NBC Sports’ College Football Talk explains:

"Heaving passes up and hoping Mike Evans can come down with it is one [concern]. In the NFL, Manziel will lose the benefit of the doubt of having the best player in the open field every play being able to come down with passes that will be up for grabs in the NFL. Holding the football away from his body is another. When Manziel makes the decision to run, he can be quite effective in weaving in and out of trouble, but he tends to hold the football out away from his body. In the college game he can get away with that but in the NFL he will be a bit more neutralized…These are just mild concerns perhaps, and they are most certainly correctable. We do not know yet whether Manziel has the ability to break that mold or if he is even aware of some potential shortcomings he may have in the NFL."

Losing his favorite target is incentive enough for Manziel to seek a change of scenery. No matter which road he chooses, the quarterback will learn to let go. But if he finds a way to duplicate his performance sans Evans, forge a path to the playoffs, and grow up along the way, there’s no telling how valuable Manziel could be.

Returns have been a mixed bag in recent history. Peyton Manning came back to Tennessee at the top of his game, and I hear he’s doing well. Matt Barkley did the same thing and wound up battered and beaten in a forgettable senior season. Yet the waiting game has gone on far too long if Manziel’s answer is this easy. His worth would hardly fluctuate if he announced his intentions in November or December. Just what is Manziel waiting for?

Even with recent news, a declaration is still in tow. With his critics silenced, the only person Johnny Manziel needs to answer to is himself.