Former Texas A&M quarterback Kyle Allen says the "culture" within the school's football program, an environment he said was created when Johnny Manziel played for the team from 2011 to '13, played a role in him transferring to Houston.
"I think the culture was a big part of it, and I think that stems from Johnny [Manziel's] era there -- the way that they let Johnny and [others] act there," Allen said in an interview with CBS Sports. "They [could] do that and still win games because they had Johnny ... and five offensive linemen playing in the NFL right now.
"A lot of people were riding off that, 'I can do whatever the hell I want and win on Saturday.'"
Allen left the Aggies in December after a sophomore season in which he started nine of 11 games, completing more than 56 percent of his passes for 2,210 yards with 17 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.
"Everyone wasn't in a straight line. Everyone was going this way, this way, this way. We had a ton of talent there. I think that, once you get all the right coaches there and get the vision right, you can do a lot of things." Ex-Texas A&M QB Kyle Allen
Allen, who announced he was transferring to Houston last month, was ESPN's No. 1 quarterback prospect from the Class of 2014, a four-star recruit out of Desert Mountain High in Scottsdale, Arizona.
"When you don't have players like Johnny and [others] there anymore, you have to really come together as a team and scrap for wins," Allen told CBS Sports. "We had a lot of people who were talking about the same goal but weren't all committed and on the same page to get to that goal.
"Everyone wasn't in a straight line. Everyone was going this way, this way, this way. We had a ton of talent there. I think that, once you get all the right coaches there and get the vision right, you can do a lot of things."
Allen will have to sit out the 2016 season but will have two seasons of eligibility left to play at Houston beginning in 2017.