College football duos: Ranking the 32 best dynamic duos in modern history
By Nick Villano
25. Johnny Manziel and Mike Evans, Texas A&M
Johnny Manziel is a dirty word when talking about football in 2021, but one cannot ignore his sheer impact. Money Manziel was the most popular college football player possibly ever. He’s right up there with Tim Tebow (although for very different reasons). Manziel came to Texas A&M and was able to beat the best teams in college football. His legacy really took a turn when he was able to beat No. 1 Alabama in 2012.
The main reason that Manziel was able to grow at the rate he was growing in 2012 was thanks to a fellow freshman. Mike Evans was a big-bodied receiver who could still outrun cornerbacks and just make ridiculous catches from anywhere on the field. Evans was ready for prime time from the second he was able to step foot on the field. He was redshirted his first year with the Aggies, almost like he was waiting for Manziel to join the team.
They were both All-Americans, First-Team All-SEC, Evans was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award and of course, Manziel won the Heisman Trophy as a freshman. These two were electric and one could argue that they wouldn’t have been as good without each other. Evans is having himself a very good NFL career, but in college, he needed someone to have the confidence to just put the ball up. Evans knew he was going to come down with it.
They will still be remembered for what they did against Alabama. With the Crimson Tide looking for revenge in 2013, Manziel was able to throw for 464 yards and five touchdowns. 279 of those yards went to Evans. It was a ridiculous showing against the best team in college football two years in a row. Although they didn’t win this game, Manziel and Evans showed they were one of the most formidable duos in the country.