Texas A&M is not in a good spot as regards the quarterback position right now, both when it comes to the current status as well as the future of the position. Marcel Reed is not getting it done at the moment, and so barring a sudden turnaround/reversion to how he looked last season, the Aggies are going to be hunting for a new starter next year.
The problem is that, as Mike Elko's refusal to bench Reed evinces, the new starter for the Aggies is likely not on campus right now— Brady Hart has a bright future, but simply isn't ready at the moment. While A&M does have a quarterback committed for the upcoming class in Jayce Johnson, and they have a future star in the class after that in Donald Tabron, they may need to go big game hunting in the portal this offseason for a one-year starter.
There's an obvious choice for the Aggies if that is the path they go on— and it seems like it's all but completely certain that he hits the portal at this point. California QB and former five-star prospect Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele, often called JKS, needs to be the Aggies' top target.
Texas A&M should target Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele in the portal this upcoming cycle
One of the best prospects that the Golden Bears have signed in years has had a lackluster sophomore campaign under new head coach Tosh Lupoi, culminating in his ill-advised benching against Wake Forest, which Cal lost 41-7. Despite the numbers being lower for JKS this season, his talent at the position is obvious— it doesn't take long to figure out why he was rated so highly coming out of high school.
With whatever hedging ought to be done about not being prisoners of the moment, most of the college football-watching public thinks that JKS will be in a different uniform next season— and though his early commitment to Oregon and flip to Cal suggests heavy west-coast ties, the Aggies will be able to compete with any program in the transfer market.
There will be some very motivated people in and around the Aggie program this offseason to help bring in the best talent they can at the quarterback position— a gambit, as we saw with LSU, Texas Tech, and others this offseason, that is not without a good share of risk. However, in terms of making an immediate change, it's something that the Aggies will have to do.
That alone won't fix the Aggies' issues, of course. There are going to be some new faces on the offensive staff, in all likelihood, going forward in Mike Elko's program. Getting a high-quality OC in the door will be key in bringing in any top-level portal quarterback, so the Ags will need to get their ducks in a row there first.
But it's never too early to start thinking about the future, especially when your team is staring down the barrel of 4-4 this upcoming weekend. With that future-focused mindset, A&M fans would do well to keep their ears to the ground when it comes to JKS— he's the guy that the Aggies should target once that window opens in January.
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