Kellen Mond arrived at Texas A&M as a young quarterback prospect with great potential. His ceiling was unknown, and it still very much is, but the flashes of brilliance he's displayed on the gridiron this season means he's on his way to becoming a nightmare for opposing defenses.
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After a solid freshman season, completing 51 percent of his passes and going 5-3 as the Aggies' starting signal caller in 2017, the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder has increased his play in nearly every statistical category.
Through seven games in 2018, he has a higher completion percentage (61.6), more yards (1,800), more touchdown passes (10), and rushing touchdowns (5) and ranks in the Top 50 (No. 46) in passer efficiency.
Not bad for a sophomore quarterback with a new head coach.
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Additionally, Mond is making more plays with his legs. Whether it's extending plays to make throws downfield or scrambling for a first down, he's shown he's truly a dual-threat quarterback. He looks like he definitely put in the work over the summer and obviously learned a lot from his freshman season.
Head coach Jimbo Fisher's confidence in Mond appears to have helped the sophomore quarterback this season since he won the starting job over Nick Starkel during fall camp, too. Mond earned it and now he's able to play free and allow his abilities to take over instead of feeling like he will get benched if his performance dips.
Some will not appreciate his ability because his numbers aren't as gaudy as some of the higher-ranked quarterbacks. However, that's mainly due to the Aggies' strong running game.
Mond will have plenty of big opportunities the rest of the season to make his case as one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC when he faces top defenses from Mississippi State, Auburn and LSU. If he can pull off an upset of one of those teams, if not more, he will have the signature win to get into more national conversations.
Right now, Mond is developing into a top quarterback while playing in arguably the toughest conference in college football. Teams should not sleep on this guy, especially when the Aggies are playing at home, because it's only a matter of time before he is scary good.
