The Texas A&M Football team will be playing their first season without Kellen Mond since Barack Obama was in office. The years went by quickly, but it has been a long time since they were in search of a new quarterback.
But that time has come.
Rather than looking forward to how good their starter will play in 2021, fans will be trying to figure out who will be under center in the fall. Spring football will bring some clarity, but we don’t know how Jimbo Fisher operates and how he’s going to handle this.
That said, there are two primary candidates for the starting job this year.
Texas A&M Football will be evaluating sophomore Haynes King
The favorite so far has to be 2nd-year quarterback Haynes King. During a season where Kellen Mond hardly ever sat on the bench, King served as his backup for the entirety of the year.
King was a former four-star recruit out of Longview, Texas. He came in as the 5th-ranked dual-threat quarterback in his class but he would only have a couple of chances to get snaps in his first year with the Aggies.
In his first appearance, there was nothing to be excited about. He played during garbage time of the Aggies’ sole loss against Alabama and would only throw three passes. He completed one to his own team and one to the other, finishing with 0 touchdowns, 17 yards, and an interception.
Thankfully, most quarterbacks don’t make their money against Alabama. He would have an opportunity to bounce back in the opposite situation — a blowout win against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
He’d come in during garbage time again and this time, throw only a single pass. The pass would go for a 42-yard touchdown and the Aggies’ lead would be extended further. This gave fans a glimpse into his potential as a passer.
But he has two other quarterbacks breathing down his neck.
Texas A&M Football’s Zach Calzada is the most experienced option
Despite losing his second-string job this year, Zach Calzada remains a serious contender for the starting position in 2021.
Calzada is the oldest quarterback that will be mentioned in this article and has the most experience in Jimbo Fisher’s system. That said, he was significantly lower-rated coming out of high school than the quarterbacks that he’ll be competing with.
The redshirt sophomore quarterback will be pushing for the starting job as hard as anybody. If he doesn’t earn it now, when will he get the opportunity to do so?
The issue for Calzada is that it’ll be an uphill battle. Each of the two quarterbacks that he’s competing with will be younger and potentially have a higher ceiling than Calzada. In order to earn the job, he’ll have to be a distinctly better player during spring ball.
Zach Calzada also has extremely limited experience. His time on the field has been a mixed bag thus far, with all of it coming in his first year in College Station. His career stats with the Aggies display 12 completions on 24 attempts with 133 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception.
In his first game in an Aggies uniform, he would only complete four passes, all of these being short gains. We didn’t get much out of that. It was his second game that we’d learn about him, as he tossed two touchdown passes on just four attempts. It was an impressive showing for the first-year player.
His last game with significant snaps wouldn’t be so strong. He’d complete four passes for just 27 yards with an interception and zero touchdown passes. The Aggies had already blown out the opponent, so it didn’t matter, but it did raise some concerns.
Calzada will have to cut down on these mistakes if he wants to earn the starting job. He may even lose it to an incoming freshman.
Texas A&M Football incoming freshman Eli Stowers is an exciting prospect
The last player that will be competing for the starting job may be the most exciting, even as an incoming freshman.
The 2021 Texas A&M Football recruiting class was strong once again. Strong enough, in fact, to earn a top ten ranking for the third consecutive year.
Haynes King is the frontrunner to win the starting job, but Eli Stowers will make sure that he’ll have to play flawless football to get there. The Texas A&M staff made sure that King felt healthily threatened when they brought in Stowers, a guy who mirrors King’s game.
Like King, Stowers is quick on his feet for his size, capable of making plays with his legs. That said, both of these players will make their money with their arms, only running if absolutely necessary.
Here’s a comparison of the two players’ recruiting profiles from high school:
Haynes King:
- 4-star prospect (0.9397)
- DUAL
- Height 6-3, Weight 200
Eli Stowers:
- 4-star prospect (0.9269)
- DUAL
- Height 6-4, Weight 215
Each of these guys were studs in high school, but one of them will be humbled at the next level as they ride the bench.
In all likelihood, Eli Stowers will be the one who has to ride the bench. That said, if he is able to come in as a freshman and beat out Haynes King for the starting job, the entire college football world should be on alert.