Kirby Smart jabs Johnny Manziel during speech, labels him 'champion of Fireball'

While speaking at the Nike Coach of the Year Clinic, Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart took a jab at former Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel for his reputation as a partier while in college.

Smart was presenting to a room when he put up four former SEC quarterbacks, Bryce Young, Joe Burrow, Cam Newton, and Johnny Manziel on the screen. He was looking for a similarity in the four players, which also opened him up to taking a jab at Manziel.

“What do these guys have in common? Speak up,” Kirby Smart said. “Heisman, that’s a good answer. That’s actually true. They’re definitely quarterbacks. That’s the most elementary thing.”

Manziel catching strays from Kirby at Nike COY… 💀 pic.twitter.com/zfHJc7f1M7

— James Light (@JamesALight) February 24, 2025

At that point, someone in the crowd responded that they were all champions. That’s where Kirby Smart cut in to make it clear what Johnny Manziel is and isn’t.

“Champions? He ain’t no champion. Champion of what? Champion of fireball,” Smart joked. “Alright, alright, alright, alright, I’m gonna go here for you. There’s Heisman. Right? They all had great days vs. our defenses. All four of them when off on us in some way shape or form.”

Kirby Smart was jabbing at the reputation that Johnny Manziel earned while he was in school for how often he would go to parties. Since then, he has also admitted he wishes he had handled things differently and been more mature during that time. His career became one of the best documented during the time, and even today he’s often looked back at in documentaries like Netflix’s Untold series.

Still, even with his reputation, Manziel was also a phenomenal player during his college career. He won the Heisman Trophy and famously beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa. At that time, Smart would have been the defensive coordinator there, giving up 253 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and 92 rushing yards to Manziel in that game.

Among those four other quarterbacks, Cam Newton also famously beat Kirby Smart while he was at Alabama. Bryce Young and Joe Burrow got to him once he became the head coach at Georgia.

The Nike Coach of the Year Clinic is held across several cities in the months of February and March with several different head coaches attending to speak at them. Along with Kirby Smart that includes names like Lane Kiffin, Josh Heupel, and Sam Pittman. Locations range from Connecticut to Florida to Oregon, among other stops around the country.