"He wasn't there at the 8 am coaches meeting" - Alabama icon AJ McCarron recalls how Johnny Manziel got nearly kicked out of Manning Passing Academy

Johnny Manziel was a star during his collegiate days with the Texas A&M Aggies. After redshirting his freshman campaign, the former quarterback won the 2012 Heisman trophy. However, ex-Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron has an interesting story about Manziel.

On the McCready and Siskey podcast, McCarron recalled a story about Johnny Manziel and their time at the Manning Passing Academy. He talked about the time the ex-Texas A&M star was almost kicked out of camp for being late. McCarron was Manziel's roommate at the Academy.

"It was weird because he wasn't there at the 8 am coaches meeting, counselor meeting that morning," McCarron said. "And when you go there and you're a counselor, you're in charge of a group of like 40 kids. Mr. Archie, when I go in that morning, asked me, 'Hey, where's Johnny?' I'm like, 'Hell, I don't know. He's not here.' So he's like, 'Alright, let's call him.'

"So we call him, didn't answer. So it's probably a little past noon, and Mr. Archie finally calls me and says, 'Johnny showed up. I hate to put you in this situation. We're going to send him home. AJ, if you get any blowback about this, just let me know, and we'll handle it with ya.'"

According to McCarron, Johnny Manziel later blamed McCarron for not waking him up during an interview with the press in that year's SEC Media Days. Despite this off-field incident, he had high praise for the ex-Texas A&M star's talent on the gridiron.

---

Johnny Manziel shares his perspective on Carson Beck joining Miami in reported $6 million NIL deal

Carson Beck debuted with the Georgia Bulldogs during the 2020 season. After redshirting his freshman campaign, he served as a backup on the depth chart for two years before being named the starting quarterback in 2023.

Last season, Beck helped the Bulldogs to an SEC title and the quarterfinals of the 12-team playoffs. However, in January, he announced his decision to transfer to play for the Miami Hurricanes. According to reports, the quarterback has signed a $6 million NIL deal with the ACC team.

On Tuesday, Johnny Manziel, on Always College Football, shared his thoughts on Beck's deal with Miami.

"What these guys are making now, in reality, is peanuts," Manziel said. "I think the main thing is, you know, it's great to be geting paid while you're in college right now.

"But it's not the real money that you're looking for. It's that second contract that you get to in the NFL that changes your life forever. Football needs to be the main thing. In college, if you have three, maybe four years to get as good as you possibly can."

The Hurricanes had 2025 No.1 overall draft pick Cam Ward as their QB1 last season. Only time will tell if Carson Beck can lead the them to a conference championship this year.