Texas A&M football 50 in 50: Will Kellen Mond take the next step?

By Jeff Shull | Jul 10, 2019

STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 27: Kellen Mond #11 of the Texas A&M Aggies celebrates after throwing for a touchdown during the first half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

We’re officially 50 days away from the start of Texas A&M football, so we’re asking 50 important questions leading up to the first game. #BTHOTexasState

The 2019 Texas A&M football season could go down as a building block to a dynasty, the beginning of something truly special with Jimbo Fisher, or it could be just another year. Were I a betting man, my money would go on the former far more than the latter.

2018 wasn’t supposed to be a great year for the Aggies. True, they had some who believed in their ability to be a “sleeper” or a “dark horse,” but nobody was expecting them to flirt with double digit wins due to their schedule. Nine wins and a competitive showing against the National Champions later and people are starting to believe in Fisher.

This season may not change much in terms of the win total. The schedule is brutal once again — they face four of the top 10 teams and three of them on the road. However, the product on the field should be better. You shouldn’t expect them to get blown out by Alabama. You shouldn’t expect the offense to get demolished by Mississippi State’s defense. You shouldn’t expect them to blow a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter against Auburn.

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They might end up losing all four of those Top 10 matchups, but they will be more mature, more competitive, and a soundly executing team. That starts and ends with junior quarterback Kellen Mond.

The difference in his freshman season with Kevin Sumlin and his sophomore year as the starter for Fisher was stark. He was more comfortable in the pocket, willing to make multiple reads to find the open guy before taking off, and more accurate. The numbers speak for themselves.

2017: 51.5 percent completions, 6.1 yards per attempt, eight touchdowns, six interceptions, 108.8 QB rating
2018: 57.3 percent completions, 7.5 yards per attempt, 24 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 135.0 QB rating

But Mond had his struggles at times during the season, particularly in the middle when they lost back-to-back games to Mississippi State and Auburn. He bounced back to finish strong and was remarkable in the wins over LSU and NC State.

Can he take that next step to becoming an elite quarterback? Another year with Fisher in his offense should only help Mond. He has every single one of his wide receivers back. He has a stud freshman tight end joining the fold to replace Jace Sternberger. He has most of the offensive line coming back.

Next. Aggie prospects who shined in 7-on-7 tournament. dark

The formula is all there for Kellen Mond to become the leader Texas A&M football needs him to be. Games are not won on paper, though, so now he needs to just put it all together on the field.