TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Thirteen years after he was the swaggering quarterback wearing No. 2 who came into Bryant-Denny Stadium with a target on his back, Johnny Manziel returned to the scene of his finest moment. He was on the sideline Saturday wearing a black Diego Pavia No. 2 jersey, supporting the Vanderbilt QB he met and befriended at an NIL summit last year.
Comparisons have been made between the two, and there is some justification for it—a pair of undersized, fearless, downright cocky playmakers who sent shock waves through the Southeastern Conference. But only one of them was able to beat Alabama here, in this stadium where so many visiting team dreams go to die. That was Manziel in 2012, leading Texas A&M and producing a jaw-dropping performance that catapulted him to the Heisman Trophy.
