Johnny Manziel's relationship with Kliff Kingsbury: How did the former Texas A&M coach get along with 'Johnny Football'

Johnny Manziel and his rise and fall story have taken the football world by storm. Ever since the release of Netflix's latest sports documentary, "Untold: Johnny Football," every sports fan has been clinging to their seat watching the real-life account of the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner.

An interesting observation that many fans made in the documentary was the recurring appearance of former Texas A&M offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kliff Kingsbury.

But how well did Kingsbury and Manziel get along, and what role did he play in the making of the legend of "Johnny Football"?

Kliff Kingsbury took Johnny Manziel under his wing early into the QB's time with the Aggies. During Kingsbury's lone season with Manziel and the Aggies, his air-raid offensive scheme unlocked the team's offense and especially allowed Manziel to flourish. The same season, Manziel won the Heisman trophy as the centerpiece of the Aggies' dominant offense.

But the real story of the bond between the two extends far beyond the field.

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Johnny Manziel and Kliff Kingsbury's personal relationship

In a 2020 interview with the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Johnny Manziel opened up about his life outside of football. At that point, he knew that his football career was way past him, but he laid great emphasis on his relationship with Kingsbury.

Talking of his bond with his former NFL coach, Johnny Manziel revealed that the two shared a very close relationship off the field and named Kingsbury as the person he has the most respect for. Here's what Manziel said about Kingsbury:

“That’s a guy that I admire very, very much. I can’t respect another person on the face of the earth as much as I do Kliff. I know he had his challenges here (as Texas Tech head coach). People have their opinions on him here. But, man, what a guy, a guy who’s changed my life for the better and who I’ll always be thankful for.”

At the time of this interview, Kingsbury was the head coach for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals and coincidentally even lived close to Manziel's residence in Scottsdale, Arizona.

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Where is Kliff Kingsbury right now?

Arizona Cardinals vs. Atlanta Falcons

Kingsbury served as the coach of the Arizona Cardinals for nearly four years, from 2018-2022. But following the Cardinals' disappointing regular season in 2022, he was let go by the team earlier this year, just a year after he had signed a contract extension to be the head coach of the franchise through 2027.

Kingsbury is part of Lincoln Riley's coaching staff at USC after returning to the Trojans as an offensive analyst in April this year.