Johnny Manziel Will Be Joining Diego Pavia On Vanderbilt Sidelines Against Alabama

The Vanderbilt versus Alabama matchup in Tuscaloosa this weekend just got a lot more intriguing — thanks to former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel.

No, the ex–Texas A&M quarterback doesn’t have any eligibility left, but he will be on the Commodores’ sideline Saturday to support quarterback Diego Pavia as Vanderbilt looks to shock the college football world once again.

There have only been a handful of quarterbacks to defeat Alabama in Tuscaloosa over the past seventeen years, and ‘Johnny Football’ is one of them. He led the Aggies to a monumental win in 2012, which sparked his Heisman run and sent shockwaves around the sport. 

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Vanderbilt Will Have Plenty Of Motivation Against Bama

Entering the game on Saturday, Alabama is riding a 14-game home winning streak, which Vandy is hoping to end, as they enter this game with a 5-0 record, while also defeating the Tide last season in Nashville. 

In terms of Diego being a Heisman contender, Johnny Manziel said this weekend he has the chance to be special for the Vandy quarterback.

"Diego Pavia really has the chance to go into Tuscaloosa and do something this weekend," Manziel told the Nightcap crew. "This is the opportunity. 

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And, Manziel will be in Tuscaloosa to see if Diego can do the same as he did in 2012, which might be a perfect comparison to how Vanderbilt is seen entering this game. 

"They hungry," Manziel said of Vanderbilt. "Guess what? I'm going to Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Saturday. I'm on the Vandy sideline. I'm wearing a Pavia jersey."

Can you imagine Vanderbilt beating Alabama in consecutive years? Last year, following the win on West End, Diego Pavia joined ESPN for an interview, where Johnny Manziel surprised the quarterback with an appearance. 

Currently sitting at 5-0 on the season, with College Gameday heading to Tuscaloosa for the game, Vanderbilt has the chance to once again create a bit of chaos. 

While there are plenty of people who will look at the Dores and shrug their chances off, don't put it past this Vandy offense to score some points on Saturday afternoon, keeping this game close in the fourth quarter. 

If Johnny Manziel got to do it in 2012, why can’t Diego Pavia do the same in 2025? 

We're about to find out.