Make no mistake about it, the Texas A&M Aggies have their quarterback for 2019 and his name is Kellen Mond. Head coach Jimbo Fisher made it clear during last season's training camp that the 6-foot-2, dual-threat signal caller was his guy, and Mond proved that he's a qualified talent that can make plays when the team needs him.
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The Aggies finished the 2018 campaign with a 9-4 overall record, including a big win over North Carolina State in the Gator Bowl, and Mond had a great sophomore season. He completed 57 percent of his passes for 3,107 yards with 24 touchdowns, nine interceptions and a quarterback rating of 135.
It will all be good next season because Mond will be back with a brand new set of offensive weapons and with a season playing for Fisher under his belt.
The only issue now is what happens if, by some unfortunate chain of events, that the Aggies lose Mond to an injury? Backup quarterback Nick Starkel isn't around anymore. He transferred to SEC foe Arkansas because he didn't want to the be Nick Foles of Texas A&M's team.
😂😂 https://t.co/6ZB9sq00RC
— Coach Nick Starkel (@NickStarkel) March 5, 2019
RELATED: Texas A&M vs. Arkansas is Now a Must-See Game for Every Aggie in 2019
So now what? This isn't the first SEC team to have this issue (see: Alabama with Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts), and it definitely won't be the last, but the Aggies have a big decision to make in the coming months.
With Starkel's decision to leave, the backup quarterback spot is now vacant and Texas A&M needs a real option to back up their leader.
Luckily, there are options. The Aggies had six other quarterbacks on the roster in 2018 — outside of Mond and Starkel — and signed another signal caller for 2019 to fight for that spot. However, without much experience at the college level, there's not much to go off of outside of their high school highlights and spring workouts. The best option is certainly up for debate.
Here are the options:
— Bo Schneider (UCF Transfer)
— Connor Blumrick
— Colton Taylor
— Jagger Laroe
— Reinard Britz
— James Foster
— Zach Calzada (2019 Signee)
Two former @JesuitAlums DS Jake Pagel 2017 and QB Bo Schneider 2015 getting some work in at A&M practice. Proud of these guys. #JezNation pic.twitter.com/KJJDeDVTXR
— Coach Brandon Hickman (@CoachBHickman) August 11, 2018
As an Aggie, Connor Blumbrick is the only player on the roster with game experience and he only threw one pass last season for an eight-yard completion.
We will hopefully get to see at least a glimpse of all of these underclassmen in the upcoming spring game on April 11. This is going to be a developing story and an open competition for one of the most important positions on the team.
We will definitely be monitoring this closely.
