The One Who Got Away: Johnny Manziel 
January, 31, 2013
Jan 31
7:00
AM PT
By
Brandon P. Oliver | ESPN.com
Most programs would dwell on the fact that they lost a future Heisman Trophy winner after earning his commitment.
Luckily for the Oregon Ducks, getting a commitment from Marcus Mariota made losing Johnny Manziel from the Class of 2011 easy to absorb. Mariota and Manziel both committed to the Ducks within two weeks of ESPN 150 QB Jerrard Randall doing the same.
At the time, most followers were focused on Randall, who was the biggest name at the time. Randall eventually signed with LSU after academic issues with Oregon and is currently enrolled at Northeast Mississippi Community College. Manziel won the Heisman Trophy at Texas A&M and Mariota had a fabulous redshirt freshman season with the Ducks.
Luckily for the Oregon Ducks, getting a commitment from Marcus Mariota made losing Johnny Manziel from the Class of 2011 easy to absorb. Mariota and Manziel both committed to the Ducks within two weeks of ESPN 150 QB Jerrard Randall doing the same.
At the time, most followers were focused on Randall, who was the biggest name at the time. Randall eventually signed with LSU after academic issues with Oregon and is currently enrolled at Northeast Mississippi Community College. Manziel won the Heisman Trophy at Texas A&M and Mariota had a fabulous redshirt freshman season with the Ducks.
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Brandon Oliver
Brandon Oliver joined ESPN in 2012. In recent years, Oliver has been involved in the Nike Football Tour with both ESPNHS and Nike. He has covered West Coast recruiting for various online outlets since 2008, with an emphasis on Oregon football. Email him at boliverespn@gmail.com.