Sep 16, 2023; College Station, Texas, USA; Former Texas A&M Aggies player Johnny Manziel watches from the sideline during the first half of the game between the Aggies and the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Texas A&M Legend Johnny Manziel Gets Into Verbal Altercation With Alabama Fans

Originally posted on Texas A&M Aggies on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated Oct 5, 2025 1:52 PM ET

Nov. 10, 2012, the day that former Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel became a college football legend.

On that day, Manziel led his Aggies into Bryant-Denny Stadium to take on Nick Saban and the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide. The then-freshman put on a performance for the ages, completing 24 of 31 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns while adding 92 rushing yards to lead the Aggies to a 29-24 upset win on the road. Not only did it put the Aggies on the map in the SEC, but Manziel essentially won the Heisman Trophy based on his performance in this game.

Now, almost 13 years later, Manziel finds himself in another viral moment at Bryant-Denny Stadium, but for a far less glamorous reason.

Johnny Manziel Flips Off Alabama Fans During Vanderbilt Game

On Saturday, Manziel returned to Tuscaloosa to show his support for Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia, whom he has taken under his wing recently. Like Manziel all those years ago, Pavia put himself on the map with a win over a No. 1 Alabama team last season, and with Vanderbilt entering this game at 5-0 and College Gameday being in town, Saturday's rematch was shaping up to be a thriller.

The Crimson Tide got their revenge, though, defeating Pavia and the Commodoress 30-14 on the back of a second-half shutout.

As Alabama closed out the game in the final minute, Manziel threw up two middle fingers at Crimson Tide fans, showing that there was no love lost whatsoever.

Johnny Manziel flips a double bird to Alabama fans in the final minute. There had been some back and forth between him and the crowd. pic.twitter.com/jKuqp6P6C4
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) October 4, 2025

That's not all, though. According to Matt Stahl of AL.com, Manziel also hit the Heisman Trophy pose and yelled at the crowd, reportedly saying "suck my ****."

Prior to the game, Manziel helped coach Pavia up for a big game in front of the Alabama faithful. He even told On3's Chris Low, “I beat them once. Diego’s got a chance to beat them twice. That’s the kind of sh*t they build statues for.”

Pacia couldn't quite match Manziel's heroics from back in the day, as he completed 21 of 35 passes for one touchdown and one interception. He also added 58 rushing yards, but had a crucial fumble in the red zone when the Commodores were threatening to go up by two scores early on. The two turnovers led directly to 10 Crimson Tide points.

While Manziel unfortunately didn't get to witness his friend pull off an upset victory in Tuscaloosa, he will always have the memory of his own big win back in 2012.

This article first appeared on Texas A&M Aggies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: