KERRVILLE – While saying he’s still committed to Oregon, Kerrville Tivy quarterback Johnny Manziel said Thursday he could reconsider his college choice if his visit to Texas A&M this weekend is anything like the experience he had in Eugene, Ore., this summer.
Manziel made it clear that the reason for taking a second look at his commitment would be driven by his desire to play at a school where his parents could see him play regularly.
A&M, which has recruited Manziel since his junior season, offered him a scholarship Monday.
“My parents have sacrificed and given me great support since I started playing football, driving me to practice and to games when I was a kid,” Manziel said. “It would hurt me if they didn’t get a chance to see me play very often in college.
“There is a possibility I could change my mind. Not a high chance, but who knows? There is that possibility.”
One of the most versatile high school quarterbacks in the state, Manziel narrowed his list of colleges to Oregon, Stanford, A&M and Texas before committing to the Ducks in June after visiting Eugene. He visited Stanford on the same trip.
“My visit to Eugene was almost perfect,” Manziel said. “It was somewhere between 99 and 100 percent. I just felt like it was for me. I liked everything about it.”
But then he mentioned the long distance from home.
“It’s 31 hours away by car,” Manziel said. “That’s 31 vs. three hours.”
Manziel, of course, was referring to the approximate driving time from Kerrville to College Station, home of the Texas Aggies.
“I’ve been to College Station before, and if anything, College Station and Eugene remind me of each other,” Manziel said. “I also like the tradition at A&M. I know tradition is big there.”
Still, Manziel left no doubt the Aggies will have to wow him if they hope for him to have a change of heart.
“If the visit to A&M isn’t between 99 and 100 percent, like it was in Eugene, nothing will change,” Manziel said.
But what if the Aggies impress him as much as Oregon did?
“If that happens, my parents and I will have a lot of thinking and talking to do,” Manziel said.
Oregon coach Chip Kelly and offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich called Manziel earlier this week after they heard he was planning to visit A&M this weekend.
“They were good about it,” Manziel said. “They told me they understand I have to do what I feel is best for me.”
NCAA rules prohibit college coaches from publicly commenting on recruits.
Manziel will share the spotlight with Madison running back Aaron Green when Tivy plays the Mavericks in the area’s marquee game Friday night at Comalander Stadium.
“Aaron and I are friends and we’ve had a good time kidding each other on Facebook this week,” Manziel said. “Aaron is very talented and he’s a good guy. He is so shifty and can do so much for his team. He reminds me so much of Reggie Bush that I call him Aaron Bush.”
Manziel watched Green and Steele running back Malcolm Brown, also a friend of the Tivy quarterback, face off in last Saturday’s nationally televised Madison-Steele season opener at Heroes Stadium.
Green rushed for 170 yards and three touchdowns in the Mavericks’ 28-23 victory.
Manziel started his senior season spectacularly last week, passing for 306 yards and four TDs and running for 131 yards and three TDs – all in the first half of Tivy’s 71-3 rout of Fredericksburg.
“He can do it all,” Madison coach Jim Streety said. “He’s the ultimate playmaker.”
Tivy coach Mark Smith said that one of Manziel’s most overlooked qualities is his leadership on and off the field.
“He just has a maturity about him that you don’t see very often,” Smith said.
Manziel passed for 2,782 yards and 19 TDs and rushed for 1,529 yards and 33 TDs last year, when he helped lead the Antlers to the Class 4A Division II state semifinals. He also caught five passes for 159 yards and two TDs.
“I don’t want to be known as a running quarterback who can pass,” Manziel said. “I want to be known as a passing quarterback who can run.”
Manziel said Aggies coach Mike Sherman has told him he would sign him as a quarterback. I mention this because some schools recruiting Manziel, including Texas, have told him they would play him at wide receiver.
“My first choice going into recruiting was Texas,” Manziel said. “But Texas kind of slow played me, so I started looking at other schools.”
Manziel will be at Kyle Field when A&M plays Stephen F. Austin at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Born in the East Texas town of Tyler, Manziel moved to Kerrville with his family midway through his seventh-grade year.
“I couldn’t have come into a better situation,” Manziel said. “I couldn’t have asked to be around a better coaching staff. Coach Smith does a great job. I feel lucky and very blessed.”
Manziel plans to graduate from high school in December and start college in January.
The big question now is whether that will be in Eugene, Ore., or College Station.
Your move, A&M.
