Drew Brees was in attendance for Saturday’s big game between rivals Texas and Texas A&M at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, and he delivered a surprising message.
Texas A&M shared a video on social media Saturday of Brees shaking hands with Johnny Manziel on the field. Manziel was a star quarterback for the Aggies from 2012-2013 and won a Heisman Trophy for them. By contrast, Brees played for Purdue from 1997-2000.
During their meeting, Brees said “I always wanted to be an Aggie” to Manziel.

"I always wanted to be an Aggie." – @drewbrees #GigEm pic.twitter.com/cGMNPLuj2X
— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) December 1, 2024
That’s surprising to hear.
Brees went to high school in the Austin area, which is where the University of Texas is located, which makes it seem he would lean more to the Longhorns. However, though his mother went to Texas, his father went to A&M, which could explain why he wanted to be an Aggie.
Brees wasn’t recruited by either school and ended up in West Lafayette.
Manziel wanted to play for Texas but was not recruited by them and ended up at A&M, where he became a star.
Maybe the takeaway here is that being snubbed by the school you wanted to play for can serve as motivation to succeed elsewhere. Oh, and also that Brees and Manziel’s team lost.