COLLEGE STATION, TX - SEPTEMBER 14: Johnny Manziel #2 of Texas A&M Aggies waits near the bench in the fourth quarter during the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Kyle Field on September 14, 2013 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)Texas football was quick to co-opt a bit of credit for DeVonta Smith’s Heisman Trophy days after hiring Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian as its new head coach. Johnny Manziel, the 2012 Heisman winner from Texas A&M, had some fun with the whole thing.
Smith won the Heisman going away last night. The Crimson Tide wide receiver posted an incredible statistical season, with 105 receptions for 1,641 yards and 20 receiving touchdowns on the year. Obviously, Sark deserves some credit for the incredible offense that Alabama has fielded this year, which produced three of the top five finishers in Heisman voting, with Smith, quarterback Mac Jones, and running back Najee Harris, who finished third and fifth in voting, respectively.
That being said, Texas jumping all over an Alabama Heisman win is pretty goofy. There was probably a more subtle way to do this than to create a graphic that made it look like Sarkisian won the trophy himself.
Even though the two sides haven’t played since A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC, there is absolutely no love lost between the two in-state rivals. Johnny Manziel took a pretty big swipe at the Longhorns for their graphic celebrating DeVonta Smith’s Heisman win.
You guys pretty much won the SEC championship too…CONGRATS!!!!! https://t.co/U6exUAKqyC
— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) January 6, 2021
Steve Sarkisian was hired abruptly on Saturday, just hours after Texas football fired Tom Herman. Both moves came out of the blue, after Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte had given Herman a vote of confidence heading into 2021.
Sark was previously the head coach at Washington from 2009-13, and USC from 2014 through five games of the 2015 season. He has a 47-35 overall record as head coach.
He’s revitalized himself as a major candidate, building out some of the best offenses in Alabama football history. We’ll see if he can have more success at Texas than he did elsewhere during his first stints leading a program.
