Johnny Manziel Unhappy at Texas A&M

There weren’t many who knew the name Johnny Manziel this time last year, but after a breakout freshman season that ended with a Heisman trophy at Texas A&M in 2012, he became a national celebrity, earning the nickname “Johnny Football.”

Now, a year later, expectations on Manziel and the Aggies for 2013 are sky high. After seeing what the fleet-footed and strong-armed Manziel is capable of, college football fans – especially Aggie fans – are looking for something spectacular. The pressure would be a lot to deal with for anyone, but especially for a 20-year-old kid who has been thrust into the leadership role of a major college football program.

Recently, Manziel showed that pressure may be taking a toll on him. On Sunday morning, Manziel sent this message from his Twitter account, which shocked and concerned Aggie fans everywhere:

“Bulls— like tonight is a reason why I can’t wait to leave college station…whenever it may be.”

After displaying some vulnerability in dealing with his current star status, Manziel quickly deleted his post and replaced it with a follow-up that read:

“Don’t ever forget that I love A&M with all of my heart, but please please walk a day in my shoes.”

Though we’ll probably never learn what exactly happened to upset Manziel, his frustration is certainly understandable. Manziel is still adjusting to his fame. He’s still not used to being unable to go somewhere without being accosted by overzealous fans and College Station locals, but for his sake and for the sake of his football team, he’s going to have to adjust and adjust quickly.

Fortunately, according to ESPN.com, Manziel’s coaches came to his aid this week and helped him understand how impactful his words and his actions are.

“I’ve seen it, just like everybody else,” Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin said. “I think being around other guys in the past has helped me, but there’s never been anything like this before. Being around Adrian Peterson or Jason White or Sam Bradford or Case Keenum or Drew Brees, people like that, that’s part of the deal. When you are a nationally recognized person, whether you’re young or a freshman or an older guy, there are some things that come with that.

“Like I said before, (Manziel) is still himself, and he has made some mistakes and he knows that. That’s part of growing up. I think, like I’ve said before, we’ve got a support process that’s in place for him and his family and I know that ever since summer school started he has been back hard at work and he’s happy to be back with his teammates.”

Obviously, the initial concern from fans who read his first tweet was that Manziel would want to leave school early to join the NFL, or even transfer. Although those two outcomes are certainly possible – with the former being more likely – it’s safe to say that he simply was caught in a bad moment and used social media to vent.

He’ll probably get more acclimated to his celebrity status this season, whether he likes it or not. Then we will really see how thick his skin is and if he can live up to his newly appointed title as “Johnny Football.” One thing is certain – all eyes will be on Manziel in 2013.