Texas A&M Football: Who will win the starting quarterback job in 2018?
There’s no telling what Nick Starkel’s redshirt freshman campaign could have looked like had he remained healthy. The reports of his strong arm and command of the offense seemed encouraging in the offseason, but he never truly got the chance to prove it on the field until late in the fall.
Where he lacks mobility, Starkel makes up for it with deep ball accuracy. His touch on long passes is superb, opening up the field for guys like Camron Buckley and Jhamon Ausbon. The technical aspect of Fisher’s schemes might lend itself to a more polished passer like Starkel, who owned a completion percentage nearly 10 points higher than that of Mond’s (60.0 compared to 51.1).
Starkel’s completed 29-of-42 passes for 373 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the spring game. Even though Mond outdid him in the touchdown department, the depth and effectiveness of Starkel’s passes was extremely encouraging. He looked to be the more polished player, both last fall and during the spring.
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Fisher has high expectations placed upon him already. He’s going to want to win immediately, but he won’t neglect the quarterback that gives him the brightest future in 2018 and beyond. Starkel needs to show his ceiling is just as high as Mond’s. If he can do that, he’ll have the inside track for the starting job in 2018. Otherwise things could interesting for the Aggies at quarterback next season.