Aggies already preparing for life after Manziel

Even before the celebration for the first freshman Heisman winner has ended, Texas A&M is preparing to replace him.

Clarence McKinney, A&M's newly promoted offensive coordinator, told a Houston A&M Club gathering this week that the Aggies are recruiting as if Heisman winner Johnny Manziel won't be with them in 2014.

"With the uncertainty of Johnny's situation because of the way the NFL is going — his stock is rising," said McKinney in a report by the San Antonio Express-News.

Texas A&M recently signed blue-chip, high school quarterbacks Kenny Hill and Kohl Stewart, despite the possibility of Manziel playing another three seasons.

Because Manziel was a redshirt freshman last season, he is eligible to declare for the NFL draft after the 2013 season. Players can declare for the NFL Draft after three seasons in college, regardless of whether one of those seasons was spent as a redshirt who never saw the field.

At one time, the elusive Manziel, listed at 6-foot-1, would have been a questionable pro prospect because of his size and reliance on his running ability to make plays. The recent success of rookie quarterbacks Robert Griffin III (Redskins) and Russell Wilson (Seahawks) have caused some NFL teams to rethink their approach to drafting quarterbacks.

And that thinking, apparently, has Texas A&M thinking ahead about stockpiling future quarterbacks.