Erik Rodriguez "EJ" Manuel Jr. (born March 19, 1990) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Florida State, leading the Seminoles to an ACC championship and Orange Bowl win in his senior year, and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Drafted by the Bills to be their franchise quarterback, Manuel suffered several injuries and saw his on-the-field performance struggle. After starting 10 games while throwing for 1,972 yards and 11 touchdowns in his rookie year, Manuel made just a combined seven starts and threw eight touchdowns over the next three seasons, remaining behind Kyle Orton and Tyrod Taylor on the depth chart. After leaving the Bills, he spent one year with the Oakland Raiders and sat out the 2018 season. He signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2019 offseason, but retired before the start of the preseason.
Early life
Manuel was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia on March 19, 1990. He attended Bayside High School Virginia Beach, where he played for the Bayside Marlins high school football team. During his time with the Marlins, Manuel recorded nearly 7,400 yards and 68 touchdowns. He was considered a five-star recruit by Scout, a four star recruit by Rivals. He was an All-American quarterback in high school.
College career
Manuel enrolled in Florida State University, where he played for coach Bobby Bowden and coach Jimbo Fisher's Florida State Seminoles football teams from 2008 to 2012. While he was a student, he joined the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. Manuel became the second collegiate quarterback to win four straight bowl games, the first being Pat White of West Virginia (2005–2008).
2009 season
Manuel took over for an injured Christian Ponder as the 4–5 Seminoles were in danger of finishing with a losing record for the first time since Bobby Bowden took over the program. His first start was an away game against Wake Forest. He completed 15-of-20 passes for 220 yards with one touchdown, leading the Seminoles to a 41–28 win over Wake Forest, who at the time had won three games in a row against Florida State. Manuel struggled in his second game against Maryland but still managed to pull out a much needed win making FSU bowl-eligible. Manuel's struggles continued against the dominating Florida Gators, and the mobile quarterback was not able to get into a rhythm as Florida State lost, 37–10.
Florida State entered the Gator Bowl 6–6 and in serious danger of letting legendary coach Bobby Bowden leave with a losing record. Manuel led Florida State to a 33–21 victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers and won the Gator Bowl MVP honors.
2010 season
Manuel started twice in the 2010 season in relief of Christian Ponder, who battled a nagging forearm injury. In his first start against Clemson, he picked up 71 yards on 15 carries. He also led the Seminoles to a victory in the 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl against South Carolina in relief of Christian Ponder, who was injured in the second quarter of the game.
2011 season
In the 2011 season, Manuel played in every game besides the loss at Clemson after injuring his shoulder in a loss against Oklahoma the previous week. He finished the season with 2,666 yards passing on a 65% completion rate. He also finished with 18 passing touchdowns, four rushing touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He helped lead the Seminoles to a comeback win against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Champs Sports Bowl by throwing for 249 yards and two touchdowns.
2012 season
In the 2012 season, Manuel led the Seminoles to numerous wins over ACC rivals, an ACC Championship, and an Orange Bowl win against Northern Illinois for a 12–2 record in his senior season.
Collegiate legacy
Manuel led the Seminoles to a 12-win season for just the third time in program history and the first time since their dominant stretch in the 1990s. During his senior season, he threw for the second most yards in team history with 3,392, trailing only Chris Weinke's Heisman Trophy winning season, in which Weinke threw for 4,167 yards. Manuel went 25–6 as a starter, won the first BCS bowl for Florida State since 2000, won five out of six games against intrastate rivals Miami and Florida, and he led the offense to its most prolific season in team history, cleanly surpassing the 1999 National Championship squad with 6,591 yards.