NEW YORK -- By Saturday night, a freshman will in all likelihood have won the Heisman Trophy. It might not even be close. It might be something close to Cam Newton's 2010 blowout, in fact.
Texas A&M's Johnny "Football" Manziel went from a midsummer quarterback battle to college football's best player by Christmastime.
When I ran into Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin here earlier in the week, I asked him if that narrative was as crazy to him as it is me. His eyes got wide and he nodded. Sumlin expected Manziel to play well in his first season. But the Heisman?
"Never doubt Johnny Football," Sumlin said, beginning to laugh. "Johnny Football ..."
Here are a few vignettes from Manziel's rapid rise to the Heisman stage, and a look at what the future holds for him.
To read Travis Haney's full article on Johnny Manziel, you must be an ESPN Insider.
Travis Haney
ESPN Insider• Joined ESPN as Insider's national college football writer in April 2012
• Previously wrote for The Oklahoman and The Post and Courier
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Travis HaneyTravis Haney joined ESPN in April 2012 as Insider's national college football writer. He previously covered the University of Oklahoma Sooners for The (Oklahoma City) Oklahoman for one season, and the University of South Carolina Gamecocks for The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier for four. Additionally, Haney has contributed since 2003 to ESPN publications and projects, including ESPN The Magazine.
A native of Cleveland, Tenn., Haney's initial introduction to a college football cathedral was Neyland Stadium. He later graduated from the University of Tennessee, in 2003, and has spent time covering the Volunteers, the University of Georgia, Clemson University, and other schools. Safe to say, football, and football in the South, was injected into his bloodstream at a young age.
Haney is the author of three books -- Gamecock Glory and Gamecock Encore, which chronicled the South Carolina baseball team's run to the 2010 and 2011 national championships, and State of Disunion, a historical look at the Clemson-South Carolina football rivalry that he co-wrote with Larry Williams.
Haney resides in Charlotte, N.C. You can follow him on Twitter here.
