Rece Davis doesn’t seem to be buying Johnny Manziel’s excuse for missing “College GameDay” last weekend, and took a not-so-subtle shot at the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner during a recent podcast.
Despite being promoted in the days leading up to the show, Manziel did not appear on “GameDay,” which was broadcasting live at Texas A&M — where Manziel starred at quarterback. He was replaced by Thunder star Alex Caruso.
Manziel later apologized for his absence in a social media post, and a report by the Daily Mail indicated that a sudden illness caused him to miss the show.
College Game Day hosts Rece Davis, left, and Pat McAfee speak on air before an NCAA college football game between Michigan and Ohio State, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in Ann Arbor, Mich. AP
However, Davis wasn’t buying it, if his comments to Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel on the “College GamDay Podcast” on Monday were any indication.
“When you go to a fight like that, you’ve got to be very careful about where you eat breakfast the next morning,” Davis said. “Because it can leave you ill and give you difficulty in reaching the locales where you are scheduled to be. But I digress.”
He added: “I just wondered, is that what the kids are calling it these days? A bad breakfast? Anyway, wouldn’t cast aspersions anywhere. For those who follow closely, you’ll be able to read between the lines there. You have to follow a little closely.”
Manziel attended the Anthony Joshua-Jake Paul bout on Friday in Miami on the night before “GameDay,” which raised questions about whether there was another reason the former Aggies quarterback missed his scheduled appearance.
Johnny Manziel talks onset prior to the SEC Championship game between the LSU Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 03, 2022. Getty Images
A rep for Manziel told the Daily Mail that he had gotten “acutely ill” from the norovirus after spending time with his family earlier that week.
Texas A&M ended up falling to Miami 10-3 in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.