Johnny Manziel faces criticism from Rece Davis after missing 'College GameDay'

Former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel has somewhat addressed his no-show for his scheduled appearance on ESPN's "College GameDay" last Saturday with a social media post vaguely referencing being sick and saying, "I will have plenty more to say about what transpired" and "I will continue to let everyone out there run with a fake narrative."

Well, Rece Davis, for one, doesn't seem to be buying it, retorting to Manziel with a veiled shot while appearing on the 'College GameDay Podcast' with Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel this week.

It all started when Wetzel casually referenced the Anthony Joshua-Jake Paul fight, which took place last Friday night at the Kaseya Center in Miami. Manziel attended the fight and posted about it on his Instagram account.

He was set to fly to College Station, Texas, the next morning to be the celebrity guest picker on GameDay, which was on location for Texas A&M's College Football Playoff game with Miami. A representative for Manziel, the former Aggies QB who won the Heisman Trophy in 2012, said Manziel was "medically unable to travel due to illness."

So with Wetzel's prompt, Davis teed off ...

"When you go to a fight like that, you've got to be very careful about where you eat breakfast the next morning because it can leave you ill and give you difficulty in reaching the locales where you are scheduled to be, but I digress," Davis said.

Johnny Manziel’s Instagram story the night before he was supposed to be College GameDay’s guest picker for his former school’s first playoff appearance #CFPplayoff pic.twitter.com/TRMvSQL5GD
— Leah Vann (@LVann_Sports) December 20, 2025

Thamel chimed in, saying, "Is that a false narrative, Rece? Are you perpetuating a false narrative?"

"I'm just saying, I just wondered, is that what the kids are calling it these days? A bad breakfast? Anyway, wouldn't cast aspersions anywhere," Davis continued. "For those that follow closely, you'll be able to read between the lines there."

The podcast hosts then lauded NBA player Alex Caruso's contributions, filling in as the guest picker on short notice.

Manziel had previously been the guest picker on "College GameDay" in Week 1 of the 2024 season when the Aggies hosted Notre Dame.

Here was Manziel's full social media post this week addressing the matter:

“I will have plenty more to say about what transpired [Saturday.] There is almost nothing on this earth that would have made me miss that game,” Manziel wrote on social media. “To ESPN, Pat [McAfee], Coach [Nick Saban], Desmond [Howard], and the entire crew on GameDay, I apologize, it was out of my control. To the Aggies and A&M fan base, I’m sorry.

"I will continue to let everyone out there run with a fake narrative, and at the end of the day, perception always wins over reality. I love all of you who genuinely support me through good and bad, like you’ve all done for years.

“I have no doubt Texas A&M and the Aggie football program will be in that position again. I’m recovering and feeling about a 3/10, going to rest up and try and get back to normal.”