Kirby Smart Takes Shot At Johnny Manziel

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By J.C. Shelton | Last updated Feb 24, 2025 3:24 PM ET

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart poked fun at Heisman Trophy quarterback Johnny Manziel and the former Texas A&M Aggie while speaking at the Nike Coach of the Year Clinic.

Smart put photos of four Heisman quarterbacks on the screen, including Manziel, Bryce Young (Alabama), Joe Burrow (LSU) and Cam Newton (Auburn), when asking what the players have in common.

Members of the crowd responded by noting the quarterback and Heisman theme before one member of the audience mentioned "champions."

That's when Smart took a shot at Manziel for his well-known reputation.

“Champions? He ain’t no champion," Smart said. "Champion of what? Champion of fireball."

The room exploded with laughter before Smart continued to make his original point: Manziel and the star-studded group of quarterbacks had their way with Smart's acclaimed defenses.

"Alright, alright, alright, alright, I’m gonna go here for you," he said. "There’s Heisman. Right? They all had great days vs. our defenses. All four of them went off on us in some way, shape or form.”

Smart served as defensive coordinator under Nick Saban at Alabama when Manziel, a freshman, led the Aggies to an upset win over the then No. 1 Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa in 2012.

Taking college football by storm that season, Manziel went on to become the first freshman in history to win the Heisman Trophy.

Smart and Co. squeaked out a 7-point win in Manziel's final season in 2013. However, the talent quarterback put up another big game against a stout Alabama defense.

In total, Manziel amassed 717 passing yards with seven touchdowns to two interceptions while adding 192 yards rushing in two games against Smart's defenses.

Manziel was a first-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2014 and spent two seasons in the NFL. He continued to play professionally in the CFL and AAF before, most recently, playing for the Zappers in the fan controlled football league (2021-22).

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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