AJ McCarron relives story of Johnny Manziel getting kicked out of the Manning Passing Academy

Johnny Manziel was one of SEC Media Day’s stars all the way back in 2013. Not just because he was fresh off a Heisman Trophy for Texas A&M either. Manziel was not too far removed from getting kicked out of the Manning Passing Academy for showing up late one day.

Then-Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron was Manziel’s roommate at the MPA. So he got put right in the middle of the story when questions began to fly. McCarron recently relived the story, going through the process of Archie Manning kicking Manziel out.

“It was weird because he wasn’t there at the 8 a.m. counselor meeting that morning,” McCarron said via the McCready and Siskey Podcast. “And when you go there and you’re a counselor, you’re in charge of a group of like 40 kids. Mr. Archie, when I go in that morning, asked me ‘Hey, where’s Johnny?’ I’m like, ‘Hell, I don’t know. He’s not here.’ So he’s like ‘Alright, let’s call him.’

“So we call him, didn’t answer. So it’s probably a little past noon and Mr. Archie finally calls me and he says ‘Johnny just showed up. I hate to put you in this situation, we’re going to send him home, AJ. And if you get any blowback about this, just let me know and we’ll handle it with ya.'”

Turns out, McCarron did wind up getting some blowback. Manziel told reporters the reason for being tardy was that McCarron did not wake him up in time. Four hours overslept, you could tell even 12 years later, McCarron is not buying the story.

“A&M was at Media Days the day before we went,” McCarron said. “They asked him about it and Johnny told me the media that I didn’t wake him up. I was like ‘C’mon.’ … That last day of Media Days in Birmingham or Hoover was pretty interesting.”

This story has lived on for years now, with the truth seemingly never coming out. However, it was quickly brushed to the side as football became everyone’s focus. Alabama and Texas A&M wound up meeting in early September, a game won by the Crimson Tide.

McCarron threw for 334 yards and four touchdowns while Manziel put up an incredible 464 yards and five touchdowns. The difference wound up being two interceptions from the Texas A&M quarterback, one of which was a pick-six. Alabama won a top-six game by seven points, 49-42, in College Station.