Texas A&M football: 5 Aggie greats who didn’t live up to the NFL hype

There might not be a greater cautionary tale and fall from grace than that of Johnny Manziel. He is, without debate, one of the best college football players and one of the sports biggest stars in the history of the game. And there was never any denying his talent. However, the talent wasn’t enough for him to curb his off-field demons and decisions that led to his NFL demise.

Johnny Football took the college football world by storm as a redshirt freshman. In Texas A&M’s first year in the SEC, he led them to an 11-2 record, including a historic upset of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. And Manziel was the star and driving force behind their success, throwing for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,410 yards and 21 touchdowns, which won him the Heisman Trophy.

As he returned for his redshirt sophomore season, he was larger than life and, as some off-field controversy began to brew and though the team was not as successful, Manziel remained a highly productive force. While his rushing dipped with 759 yards and nine touchdowns, his passing numbers ballooned as he threw for 4,114 yards and 37 touchdowns on the year.

The Cleveland Browns were the ones who took the gamble on Manziel in the 2014 NFL Draft, trading up to No. 22 to select the quarterback. In his rookie season, he struggled in limited action, something that continued throughout his second year as well. Along the way, character issues beyond his on-field arrogance, spanning from missed team check-ins to excessive partying and other things, made him too much to bear.

Cleveland cut him prior to the 2016 season and, though he’s seen time in the CFL and AAF, he’s not been on an NFL radar since.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.