Texas A&M Football: Projected 2017 quarterback depth chart
There’s something about a dual-threat quarterback that Aggies will forever embrace. Memories of Johnny Manziel are still fresh on the minds of all who make the journey to Kyle Field on Saturdays in the fall. Mond, by all accounts, has at least a little bit of that Manziel magic in him.
A dual-threat quarterback out of the IMG Academy in Florida, Mond stunned onlookers repetitively during his senior season. What he lacks, and ultimately the reason that he’ll be second in the pecking order come the fall, is experience. Starkel is only a redshirt freshman, so he’s seen just as much (or just as little, rather) of the field as Mond, but that redshirt is critical.
Sumlin and his staff need to prove that they have the capabilities to recruit an elite quarterback, develop him and then turn him into a successful player in the SEC. He’s found a handful of elite talents (Mond included) and he’s had successful quarterbacks in College Station (Manziel and Knight). What he hasn’t done is complete the entire process.
It’s not that the Aggie offense is all that complicated. However, it is a bit more tricky than backyard football. Even Manziel’s scrambling ability was a rooted in an offensive scheme. Mond can make plays when the play breaks down, but he’s so young and so inexperienced that a year (or two) to study and learn might be what’s best for him and what’s best for the Aggies.
Mond is going to become a great quarterback for the Aggies. He could even be the best Sumlin has ever coached, save for Manziel. But that’s going to come, hopefully in his redshirt freshman or redshirt sophomore season, not in 2017. Unless of course, he blows everyone away when he’s given the chance.