Texas A&M football has a starting quarterback, reportedly. Kellen Mond will take charge of the offense in the Aggies’ season opener against Northwestern State.
After being supplanted by Nick Starkel last season, Kellen Mond has taken control of the starting quarterback job in College Station — at least that’s the plan entering the 2018 season. Mond, as reported by 247 Sports, will be the starter against Northwestern State. Starkel is also expected to see some time.
For Fisher and the Aggies, this is 100 percent the right decision. Both Starkel and Mond are capable passers, but Mond’s quickness and elusiveness on the ground serve as an obvious differentiator. In today’s college game, quarterbacks are expected to be mobile. Whether via run-pass option schemes or creating first downs when the pocket breaks down, the running threat posed by Mond outweighs what Starkel, who isn’t a statue by any means, brings to the table.
Although they’ve been neck and neck throughout the spring and fall camp it’s worth noting that Mond has always had the advantage when it comes to raw talent. Starkel was a 3-star prospect coming out of high school with offers from the likes of Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, North Texas and Old Dominion.
Mond was mere fractions of a point from being bumped up to a 5-star prospect. He was the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the nation when he came out of high school. His offer list included Auburn, Clemson, Ohio State and Miami, among others.
Mond has come along way from his 3-for-17 outing against UCLA as an emergency backup last season. If he’s worked out some of his accuracy issues the Aggies could not only have a viable starting quarterback, they could make some noise in the SEC.