Texas A&M football legend reminds everyone that the 12th man is no joke

"Notre Dame doesn't know what they're walking into today."

That's what Heisman winner Johnny Manziel told everybody when picking his alma mater during ESPN's College Gameday.

It didn't take much for the Aggie faithful to get going to start the 2024 season. Emmitt Smith joined Johnny Manziel on the set of College Gameday and the crowd was rowdy for much of the morning.

When watching footage of Manziel's famous play of improvising and throwing a touchdown to Ryan Swope, former Alabama head coach Nick Saban said he still has nightmares about a freshman quarterback coming onto his home turf and making a statement victory.

Just a month later, Manziel would be the first freshman to win college football's most prestigious award.

More importantly, Manziel's appearance reminds fans that he has helped built Aggieland to what it is now. Even though Manziel was playing in the NFL in the 2014 season, 110,633 people attended the Ole Miss-Texas A&M game. This would be the largest game attendance in Kyle Field history.

The point is, Manziel helped with that record attendance. He helped bring the brand from tradition to glitz and glamour. Except, tradition would never leave the heart of the Aggie faithful.

Aggie fans are always testing how they can cause havoc for opposing players. For Notre Dame, that will certainly be a challenge for the young offensive lineman going up against experienced defensive lineman and the 12th Man.

The Aggie fans will make the folks at ESPN regret their decision to omit Kyle Field from their list of top 10 college stadiums.

After all, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit once called College Station the best college football environment. To many analysts and fans, that still holds true.

The Aggies know they're up against a tough task, and if this game was in South Bend, it would be an even tougher ask to win. The hype of a new coach in their home turf with College Gameday getting fans prepared, this is a popcorn matchup for week one.