Johnny Manziel is most famous for being the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. But what kind of freshman was he? Yes, there are different ypes of freshmen.
One could be a true freshman or a redshirt freshman. So, which one was Manziel when he won the Heisman?
Before the question is answered, let’s look at the difference between a true freshman and a redshirt freshman. In college sports, it is possible for someone in their academic first year to redshirt as an athlete (for medical reasons or for development reasons). If a player fails to play a certain amount of the season, that person is allowed to take a redshirt for that season.
•
Athletes do this to delay or lengthen their eligibility. So, when they’re a sophomore student and they’re having their first season of athletic eligibility, they become a redshirt freshman.
On the other hand, a first-year student who is also in their first year of athletic eligibility is a true freshman.
So, which one was Johnny Manziel?
Manziel enrolled into Texas A&M in 2011. However, he redshirted the 2011 college football season and did not feature in any game for the Aggies. However, as a sophomore student in 2012, he made his entry into college football as the starting quarterback for the Aggies.
So, to answer the question, Manziel was a redshirt freshman when he debuted for the Texas A&M Aggies in the 2012 college football season.
Reliving Johnny Manziel’s freshman season
Going into the 2012 college football season, the starting quarterback spot at Texas A&M was up for grabs after Ryan Tannehill left for the NFL. Manziel’s performance during the spring game and fall practices earned him the starting spot ahead of Jameill Showers and Matt Joeckel.
Manziel’s debut game was against Florida in front of home fans at Kyle Field. His date with destiny, however, came when he led the Aggies to a 29-24 upset against No. 1 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. He accounted for 345 of the Aggies’ 418 yards of offense and two touchdowns also.
The game solidified his claim in the Heisman Trophy race that season. He became as the first freshman and fifth overall player in college football to pass for 3,000 and rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year and the College Football Performance National Freshman of the Year.
The crowns to an amazing season came when he won the Davey O’Brien Award (as the nation’s best quaterback) on Dec. 6, followed by the Heisman Trophy on Dec. 8.