Texas A&M Football 50 in 50: Could Kellen Mond win starting QB job?

Texas A&M football is 19 days away, and in the days leading up to the Aggie opener we’re answering the 50 biggest questions for the 2018 season.

This entire offseason, most have been operating under the assumption Nick Starkel would be the starting quarterback for Texas A&M football.

He won the job in camp last season, and even after an injury forced Mond into action as a true freshman, his erratic play forced Kevin Sumlin to reinsert Starkel towards the end of the season.

Plus, Starkel is the type of quarterback Jimbo Fisher has used to run his offenses in the past. While Mond offers more escapability and is a much more dynamic runner, that hasn’t been a trait Fisher desired from his quarterbacks in the past.

But, despite what happened on the field in the 2017 season, Fisher has been tight-lipped when it comes to the quarterback competition. He seems no closer to naming a starter today than he was back in April during spring practices.

That could be a tactic to keep his opponents guessing. Or, it could mean Mond is pushing Starkel and Fisher actually hasn’t made a decision yet.

If you believe SEC Network’s Marcus Spears, Mond has been looking good in practice as a passer.

"“I’ve got to say, those [quarterbacks] are working hard,” he said. “Kellen Mond looked great in practice. He had a couple good days where he looked really good. Jimbo mentioned that. Him and Nick Starkel are really in a heated battle right now in trying to figure out who’s going to start.“I always lean toward – Kellen is showing the same type of ability to throw the football as Nick Starkel, plus he has the element of being able to run and get out of the pocket and create some things. I think they like that.”"

If it’s true that Mond has progressed as a passer and is looking just as good as Starkel, it would make absolute sense for him to win the starting job. All things equal from the arm, you take the guy who can also make plays with his feet.

It’s not hard to believe Mond has improved. He was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and his struggles last season could be attributed to adjusting to the speed of the college game. He was a true freshman, after all. It’s not often a true freshman quarterback comes in and lights it up, no matter how highly recruited he was.

The main thing for him is consistency. If he has had a couple of good days in practice, great, but it means nothing unless he has a good camp overall. He can’t have many bad days if he wants to win this job.

It isn’t hard to root for a guy like Mond to win the job. He is easily the more exciting option of the two. This is the biggest decision Fisher will make in 2018, and it seems he will wait until the last possible moment to pick the guy.

Jeff Shull is the Site Expert for the Gig Em Gazette on FanSided. Follow him on Twitter, and be sure to follow the Gig Em Gazette on Facebook and Twitter.