( CNN ) -- There are some sports figures who , no matter who else is playing , make you simply want to turn on the television to see what kind of excitement they will bring to the game . Barry Sanders . Deion Sanders . Michael Jordan . Reggie Jackson . Wayne Gretzky . Pele . They make up some of the greatest to ever play their respective sports , and when they hit the field , court or ice , all eyes were on them . Texas A & M University quarterback Johnny Manziel has n't remotely achieved their level of stardom , but when it comes to being Mr . Excitement in college football , man , this kid can flat electrify the crowd with his play and leave his opponents shaking their heads in frustration . I do n't care about Chip Kelly 's offense or Alabama 's defense or how Bill Snyder has revived Kansas State 's football program . There is no doubt that Johnny `` Football '' Manziel has taken the college football world by storm , and maybe by the end of the season , he could be the first freshman ever to win the Heisman Trophy . Yes , the kid is just that good . When Texas A & M made the decision to leave the Big 12 to play in the Southeastern Conference , fans and the media alike forecasted a tough few years for the Aggies . Everyone said , `` Welcome to big boy football , '' citing the recent national champions that have hailed from the conference . The critics said the noble men of Kyle Field -- Texas A & M 's home stadium -- would be the doormat of the league , languishing at the bottom and following the path of Arkansas , who left the Aggies in the Southwest Conference in 1991 for the SEC and disappeared into oblivion . See highlights from Texas A & M 's win over Alabama . All of that changed last Saturday when the Aggies went to Tuscaloosa , Alabama , for the first time and knocked off the defending national champions and the No . 1-ranked team in the country , the Alabama Crimson Tide . The one play that will be remembered was the touchdown where Manziel stepped up in the pocket , ran into one of his own players , the ball popped up in the air , he caught it , rolled left and found Ryan Swope in the back of the end zone . He is a fearless kid . Slide after a big run ? Nope . Manziel wants to take the head off a linebacker or a safety by slamming into them . He 's not built like a Mack truck in the mold of Tim Tebow . But after the hit , he pops up and runs around the field like an 8-year-old ready for the next play . The mania around Johnny Football has taken on epic proportions . And it 's only going to get bigger , which says a lot in Texas , where football has long been like a religion . Manziel 's emergence is excellent for the ninth-ranked Texas A & M Aggies and first-year Coach Kevin Sumlin . For decades , Texas A & M has played in the shadows of its archrival , the Texas Longhorns . While A & M has enjoyed some successful teams in the last two decades , the Longhorns have long been a national power . The success of the Aggies with Manziel will no doubt help recruiting . And if the runaway candidate to be the MVP of the SEC continues to meet the Heisman hype , the legend of Johnny Football will only grow . That 's good for my alma mater , Texas A & M ; good for the SEC ; and good the casual fan who desires a mythical figure to root for .
the Heisman Trophy : A & M Johnny Manziel has taken the college football world by storm . By 1991 , Martin may be the first freshman ever to win Martin . Martin : `` The legend of Johnny Football will only grow ''