Texas A&M football sets pro day, will host former players and transfers. Is that an unorthodox move?
Now that the NFL combine is over, the next move for the draft hopefuls from Texas A&M football is to participate in pro day on campus—for the Aggies, that will be next Tuesday, March 19. There, the focus will specifically be on players who have come through the program, rather than players being invited according to their perceived draft prospects.
A recent phenomenon with regard to this is schools allowing former players to come back and audition for teams—even those that have been in the league for some time already. In that vein, it has been announced that Kellen Mond will throw at A&M’s pro day.
Former Texas A&M QB Kellen Mond is expected to participate in A&M’s Pro Day next Tuesday, per A&M.
— Carter Karels (@CarterKarels) March 14, 2024
Three other former Aggie players who have not been with the program for at least a season — WRs Caleb Chapman and Jalen Preston, and LB Andre White Jr. — will be participating.
It’s not just Mond, either. Jalen Preston, who has been away from the program for at least this past year, will also participate—and, perhaps strangely, so will Caleb Chapman and Andre White, Jr.
Why is that strange? Well, both White and Chapman transferred away from the program. White made the move to Georgia Tech alongside Haynes King and Chase Lane while Chapman headed northwest to Oregon. White played in 10 of Georgia Tech’s 13 games, missing two of the first three as well as the bowl game vs. UCF. Chapman made 1 catch in 9 games in 2022, and did not play for the Ducks in 2023.
Is it strange to host transfers for a pro day like this? I’m not sure it’s a terribly odd thing to do. Considering the fact that there is a change in leadership for the Aggies here recently, it’s possible that they are still trying to remake the program’s image, and being welcoming to former players in this fashion is a way Mike Elko and company are attempting to do so.
Neither of these transfers came in a particularly contentious fashion, either. White had graduated, and most people in College Station respected his departure. Chapman had briefly made some noise when he intimated on social media that Jimbo’s offense had restricted his production, but he never said a bad word about the university or fans.
Overall, while this is a bit head-scratching on initial view, it makes sense. Chapman and White likely want a bit more exposure than they might get otherwise, and both spent much more time in College Station than any other stop.