In the end, it came down to who was closer to home.
In June, Tivy senior quarterback Johnny Manziel announced that he committed to the University of Oregon to play football. Eugene, Ore., the home of the college, is 31 hours and a world away.
In late August, Manziel received a scholarship offer from Texas A&M University. College Station is three hours away.
Throw away the national rankings, the bowl appearances, the systems - after three trips to Kyle Field, Manziel knew where he and his family needed to be.
"I love College Station," he said. "First and foremost, the town is awesome and the people are even better."
Michelle Manziel is just glad the month is over. Since Texas A&M offered her son, she has been on pins and needles.
"I was probably more crazy about it than (my son) was," she said.
The price was a factor. If Johnny Manziel went to Oregon, trips to home games would cost around $2,000, Michelle Manziel said.
When Johnny Manziel decided on Texas A&M, the family - grandma, grandpa and more - was happy that he was staying home.
"Everyone is so relieved," Michelle Manziel said.
Johnny Manziel said telling Oregon head coach Chip Kelly on Sunday that he was decommitting was difficult.
"To sit there and really have to man-up and talk to coach Kelly (about) something he definitely didn't want to hear, it was very tough on me," he said. "He didn't think (the distance) would play a big factor whenever I was up there, and maybe it's something we miscommunicated on. But I felt like I got the point across that maybe if a Texas school came in that would be something that I had to think about."
Michelle Manziel describes the summer visit to Oregon as "wonderful," and the relationship her son and the Oregon coaching staff had built was very strong. But in the long run, the Aggies' pursuit of her son, which she said began three years ago, paid off in the end.
Johnny Manziel's recruiting stock soared following Tivy's long run in the playoffs during his junior year in 2009. He accounted for 54 touchdowns that season.
