Texas A&M Football: Why Haynes King likely won’t return in 2021
When the Texas A&M football team’s starting quarterback in Haynes King went down with a leg injury against the Colorado Buffaloes, it wasn’t thought of as a season-ending injury. The Aggie quarterback injured his leg in early September and his expected return date was mid-October.
Well, October is almost over and we have virtually no updates on King’s return.
Quite frankly, it doesn’t seem like anybody cares quite as much anymore, as the Texas A&M football team has been treading water without their initial starter. Even though his replacement in Zach Calzada got off to a shaky start, the older quarterback has settled in and managed to guide his team to three quality wins.
Will the Texas A&M football team’s original starter Haynes King return in 2021?
As much as it pains me to say this, my honest answer would be no — here’s why.
When King initially went down with a leg injury, a few things slipped out of Texas A&M’s grasp. For starters, their chances of making it to the SEC Championship Game seemed extremely slim — how could they get past Alabama without their starting quarterback?
And in an odd turn of events, Texas A&M actually did beat Alabama. Unfortunately, the Aggies dropped a pair of games leading up to their win against the Tide, so their chances of going to Atlanta this season are back in the gutter. And that may be the driving force behind keeping Haynes King sidelined.
I’ll draw a strange, but accurate parallel here. The other team that I currently cover is the Memphis Grizzlies, who saw their second-best player in Jaren Jackson Jr. fall with a meniscus injury late in the 2019-20 season. In certain cases, meniscus tears can see players return in less than a month. Generally speaking, you’ll never see a player take more than six months in total, even in the worst cases.
The Grizzlies, however, knew that the long-term future of their 21-year old star and their basketball team as a whole was more important than the season right in front of them. The Grizzlies weren’t going to make an NBA Playoff run yet. JJJ would not return to the court for eight months, and when he did return, he played sparingly.
It’s a low-risk, low-reward approach, but it made sense considering the circumstances.
In my opinion, Texas A&M will be taking a similar approach with Haynes King. If Texas A&M is not going to make a run at the College Football Playoff, or even reach the SEC Championship game for that matter, what’s the rush in getting your starting quarterback back on the field?
King’s health will be a priority, and with Zach Calzada playing improved football every weekend, it’ll make Jimbo Fisher’s decision to keep Haynes King in recovery even easier.
Next. 3 reasons to believe in backup QB Zach Calzada. dark
If you need any more proof that King won’t be returning to the field this year, take Jamie Erdahl’s word for it. The CBS reporter said that Jimbo Fisher stated Haynes King’s return in the 2021 season is unlikely.