Thriving in a new field
After giving up a chance at the Super Bowl, Manuel is thriving as ACC Network analyst
Once a star in the ACC, EJ Manuel now shines as an analyst.
It’s Monday morning as EJ Manuel settles into his chair.
For the next several hours, he will watch college football.
After a short break, he’ll devote many more hours watching film.
By Tuesday afternoon, Manuel will have watched every ACC football team from the previous week.
“I can only imagine if I was doing all of college football, not just the ACC,” he said with a chuckle. “You got 15 teams where you have to watch all of their games. And you have to have background of their key players and an understanding of situations that they failed in, and situations that they succeeded in. It’s a lot of film.”
And that’s just the beginning to his week. The rest of it includes meetings, radio shows and more preparation heading into Saturday’s big game day. That day will begin around 8:30 a.m. and can last until after midnight.
Welcome to Manuel’s world as a college football analyst on the ACC Network, which debuted in 2019 under ESPN’s auspices.
The former NFL and Florida State quarterback said it’s a lot of work, but he loves it.
“You got to know what you’re talking about,” said Manuel, a former Parade
All-America quarterback at Bayside High in Virginia Beach. “The one thing you don’t want to do is get up there and you’re wrong. Of course, you’re not always going to be perfect in your facts, but for the most part, you got to be at least close because there are always going to be people fact-tracking you. But it’s a lot of fun.”
The best thing about Manuel’s postfootball job is he made the decision without being forced to make it. Unlike many former athletes, he didn’t lose his job and then react. But the communications major had a backup plan.
“I set control of a situation instead of allowing the league to do it for me,” he said. “That was the beauty in it.”
At Bayside, he was named All-Tidewater, all-state and a
Parade All-American. Manuel, a five-star recruit by Scout and four-star by Rivals, chose Florida State over LSU, Oregon,
Tennessee and Alabama.
At Florida State, Manuel led the Seminoles to a 25-6 record as a starter, the thirdmost wins in program history. At the time, he also became just the second quarterback in FBS history to win four straight bowl games, joining former
West Virginia quarterback Pat White. Manuel finished his career ranked as one of the most productive quarterbacks in school history.
His senior year, however, would be an emotional one for him and his parents, Erik Sr. and Jackie. While he thrived on the football field, he did so with his mother on his mind. She was diagnosed with breast cancer before the season and underwent chemotherapy throughout that season.
He still led the Seminoles to the ACC title and earned all- conference honors. Following the season, one NFL analyst told Manuel he could be selected among the top five quarterbacks in the 2013 draft.
The Buffalo Bills chose Manuel with the No. 16 overall pick, and he was the first quarterback chosen in the draft. After hearing his name called, Manuel walked across the stage at Radio City Music Hall and gave commissioner Roger Goodell a bear hug.
“Draft day was special,” he said. “My mom was recovering from cancer, so that was a big reason why I wanted to go to New York. I had an idea I was going in the first round. When it happened, it was pretty surreal.”
Manuel had impressive back-to-back games in the preseason with the Bills, but suffered a knee injury that caused him to miss the final two preseason games. An MRI revealed he needed a minor procedure.
He returned, but injured his knee again and missed six regular-season games. He finished the season with 1,972 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 10 games. He also rushed for 186 yards and two touchdowns.
Looking back on it now, Manuel wished he — and
his agent — would have spoken up. He felt he was rushed back to duty even though he wasn’t 100%. But he was a rookie and a No. 1 draft pick.
Manuel knows that experience affected his career.
“The perception of me was that I was a bust or that I couldn’t play,” he said. “Naturally, in the NFL, it’s a copycat league. So if one team feels like you can’t get it done, the other ones are going to start looking at you skeptically, too, without giving you a chance. It changed the projection of my career.”
Over the next three seasons, Manuel made just seven combined starts as he sat behind Kyle Orton and Hampton’s Tyrod Taylor on the depth chart.
That’s when Manuel learned more about the tough reality of the NFL. It’s a business.
“They shouldn’t care,” he said. “You’re making a lot of money. It’s not a league where people are worried about your feelings, but at the same time I think there’s a way of how you handle a rookie quarterback.”
He spent the 2017 season with the Oakland Raiders. He played in two games with one start.
The Raiders re-signed him, but released him nine days before their 2018 opener.
Manuel was upset because he thought he had played well enough in the preseason to earn a spot. He had thrown for 477 yards and four touchdowns in the preseason, but the Raiders released him to make room for AJ McCarron, who was acquired in a trade.
Fortunately, Manuel’s business manager, Humble Lukanga, arranged for him to meet with United Talent Agency in Beverly Hills. UTA landed Manuel an audition for the ACC Network.
While his broadcasting career was starting to take off, Manuel signed with the
Kansas City Chiefs. He was going to back up Patrick Mahomes.
Manuel was excited about the opportunity, but had second thoughts after he injured his knee a third time while working out.
At the same time he was thinking about football, he also had an offer to work for the ACC Network. He knew he had a big decision to make.
“I realized I had to start thinking like a 40- or 50year-old, instead of 30 years old,” said Manuel, who is 30. “Had I not hurt my knee again, I probably would have kept playing. But I was still rehabbing and I asked myself, ‘If Mahomes goes down, am I healthy enough to go out there and play a 16-game season?’
“At that moment, I had to make a decision to keep playing or do ESPN. If I didn’t take the job, they were going to hire somebody else,” he added. “So I thought about it, prayed about it, talked to my mom and dad about it. I knew I wasn’t 100% healthy, so I moved on.”
He remembers going to Chiefs coach Andy Reid the next day to tell him about his decision. Under the agreement with the Chiefs, Manuel had to retire to take the job at ESPN.
“I had to get out of my contract with the Chiefs by having to retire,” he said, “otherwise I would have had a Super Bowl ring. That would have been cool.”
But Manuel is at peace with his decision.
“I’ve gone through a lot,” said Manuel, who now lives in Plantation, Florida, outside of Fort Lauderdale. “I’ve done a lot. But I will say I’m proud of everything I’ve done. … I feel like I’ve landed on my feet. I was able to weather the storm, so to speak, and I’m blessed for sure.”