Johnny Manziel Makes Confident Prediction vs. Diego Pavia

In world where two eras could meet on the gridiron, former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel believes in his 2012 squad against one of 2025's top teams.

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

In the past two decades, Texas A&M football has been climbing back to the glory days it tasted back in the "Wrecking Crew" days of the late 1980s and early 1990s. From producing bona fide Hall of Famers in Myles Garrett, Von Miller and Mike Evans to having its second-ever Heisman winner, A&M has been living large in the world of football.

But perhaps the Aggies' greatest story in recent history is that of quarterback Johnny Manziel's 2012 season, where he became the first freshman to win the covetted Heisman Trophy. The team that rallied behind him was legendary in College Station, but some say that 2025 Vanderbilt was in the same airspace.

However on the, Glory Daze Podcast , Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia joined the discussion, as Manziel claimed to his viewers that the young NFL Draft prospect's team would get "stomped" against A&M's unit of legend.

“We’d beat you guys by 25” -@JManziel2

Who you got between Johnny’s Best Texas A&M Squad and Diego’s Best Vanderbilt Squad? pic.twitter.com/LNqPBXmPY0

— Glory Daze Podcast (@glorydazepod) January 28, 2026

Modern Era Meets Early Masterpiece

Dec 13, 2025; New York, NY, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (left to right) and Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia and Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin pose with the Heisman trophy during a press conference at the New York Marriott Marquis. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

There were many comparisons to be draw between 2012 A&M and 2025 Vanderbilt, with both squads having 10-win seasons led by a Heisman-finalist quarterback, the only difference in that comparison is in the fact that Manziel actually took home the trophy where Pavia did not.

Manziel had just over 700 more yards of total offense in 2012 than in Pavia's runner-up year, and Manziel was also responsible for eight more touchdowns. However, both quarterbacks were essential to creating a new identity for their respective schools.

Following Manziel's historic season, donations for A&M alumni began flooding into the program and Kyle Field, which had long been an intimadating environment, got all the more scarier when the stadium was enclosed and fashioned to seat over 103,000 people.

While there are no spoken plans to give Vanderbilt's stadium the same kind of makeover, the draw to be part of head coach Clark Lea's program is real. In fact, five-star quarterback Jared Curtis has bought the hype recently and committed to be the Commodores' signal-caller for the future.

Each of these quarterbacks had their own weapons, with Pavia having former Aggie quarterback turned Vanderbilt tight end take care of would-be tacklers and snag contested catches throughout the whole season.

As for Manziel, he had one of the NFL's most indomitable wide receivers of all time in Mike Evans, who has the record for most consecutive 1,000 yards-receiving to begin a career in NFL history. Manziel had his own tight end Malcome Kennedy come second in receiving in his Heisman season, further giving the edge to the Aggies.

While it is a hypotheical the world will never know, it's clear that it would truly be a battle for the ages, but perhaps with the Maroon and White coming out on top in the end.