"Your ego gets the best of you": Johnny Manziel opens up about facing on and off-field challenges during Texas A&M days

Johnny Manziel made waves through the world of college football like no other freshman had done before, winning the 2012 Heisman Trophy. It was the first time an underclassman won the most coveted award in college football. However, his career didn't peter out as expected.

A second good season with the Texas A&M Aggies (except for an increase in interceptions), was followed by a disappointing two-season spell with the Cleveland Browns in the NFL.

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From there, what followed was a series of jobs at small-time leagues in Canada and the US. Ahead of the Aggies' Week 1 clash against Notre Dame, Johnny Football spoke about his regrets and how his career panned out.

Here's what Johnny Manziel told Kirk Herbstreit’s "Walks With Ben":

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“Yeah, I think as, you know, (during) my college football rise, at times, your ego gets the best of you and you maybe think you’re a little bit bigger than the game, and for me, you know, things were so easy and so natural, when I started to hit a little bit of a, you know, where I was doubting my confidence and doubting my abilities as a quarterback a little bit, I think, you know, part of it was just having some adversity, and now dealing with it in the best way as a 24-year-old kid,”

“Then, as you grow up and go through life, you learn a lot of things and learn what’s important about life, and I think it is just a process of growing up"

Johnny Manziel's numbers in his Heisman-winning season

In 2012 Johnny Manziel took over the starting role for the Aggies, under coach Kevin Sumlin. That year he threw for 3706 yards with 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also ran for 1410 yards and had 21 rushing touchdowns. He led Texas A&M in impressive victories over Alabama, Arkansas, and Oklahoma among others.

Besides the Heisman Trophy, Johnny Manziel won the SEC Player of the Year, Davey O'Brien, and Manning awards. He was also a Consensus All-American and First Team All-SEC selection.

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