Breaking Down Texas A&M Position Groups: Quarterbacks
Part VII, the final installment, of a multi-part series where we preview each position group for the 2021 season. By: The Hammer
Part VII: QUARTERBACKS
Photo: Sam Craft, Houston Chronicle
Now we have arrived at the quarterback. The most important position in football. If your team doesn’t have a good quarterback, like Michael Jordan famously said the ceiling is the roof. Your team’s potential has a clear ceiling. Just ask Georgia fans about Stetson Bennett. Nothing against The Mailman, I loved watching him compete last year, but he’s not the guy who can take a team of Georgia’s caliber to where they ultimately want to go. A good quarterback can change the trajectory of a program, just like Johnny Manziel did.
I doubt someone like Johnny Football is on A&M’s roster this year, but Jimbo Fisher recently announced Hayseed Haynes King will be starting under center. That’s big news out of Aggieland as this will be the first time in Jimbo Fisher’s tenure that the starting quarterback is not named Kellen Mond.
Mond was a steady presence over the last 4 years, although his play wasn’t always all that steady earlier on. Mond found his groove last year though, and put forth an excellent senior campaign. We knew what we had with Mond, which makes the current unknown a bit unsettling. Anytime you are breaking in a new quarterback in the SEC, the fanbase is on pins and needles.
Despite a little worry of the unknown, I’m pretty confident in Haynes King. King has serious speed and is a true dual threat. He can actually hurt a defense with his legs, not just keep them honest. The fastest player on A&M’s roster, Devon Achane, said in a press conference that although he is the fastest player on the roster, when running sprints "Everytime I look out and to the left I see a green jersey and it's always Haynes.” If Haynes can keep up with sprinter Devon Achane, you know he is flying.
Photo via Texags
There was a tough QB battle during fall camp at A&M but King ultimately beat out Zach Calzada. King was the higher rated prospect and earned the backup role last fall. He was a 4 star, top 150 level recruit out of Longview, TX in the class of 2020. King is also the only quarterback who saw playing time in 2020, although it was very limited, only attempting 4 passes and going went 2/4 with one TD and one INT. He added 6 carries for 43 yards on the ground. Calzada, meanwhile, made a few appearances in 2019, totaling 133 yards passing while going 12/24 with 2 TDs and one INT.
What gives me confidence in King, and the quarterback position in general, is largely the players around them. We’ve hit on all of them in previous parts in this series, but the skill positions are loaded with talent and experience. King will have plenty of trustworthy weapons to lean on. The Aggies are built so well, we don’t need an All American caliber quarterback to win a lot of games. We need that kind of play to win a national championship (every team does these days), but this team is built to win double digit games with either King or Calzada under center.
Given Haynes King’s running ability and the offensive line’s inexperience, I think that was a big factor in him winning the job. Being mobile and making defenses defend the QB run will take a lot of pressure off the O-line and give them a bigger margin for error. It provides a safeguard in case that line takes time to gel and opens up a whole different dynamic for the offense.
Despite King earning the starting gig, I think both players are SEC starting QB quality players. Calzada can sling the rock around with the best of them in the country. Just watching him throw the ball brings a smile to my face. It’s beautiful. Calzada stands at 6’4” and 210 pounds and the combination of his size and arm strength make him look like a prototypical quarterback, but he is more mobile than people think. He isn’t going to gash anyone in the run game like King might, but he doesn’t look like Eli Manning in the pocket either. I’d say his mobility compares to someone like Joe Burrow or Kyle Allen if you want to look at a former Aggie (still salty Sumlin let Allen and Murray get away).
Calzada can throw a ball over that mountain.
With a couple of easier games early in the year, I expect Calzada to get some reps. With King’s running ability, it’s quite possible he gets dinged up at some point during the season. Having a competent backup is huge, but let’s hope King can remain healthy. If he does, I think he’ll be very solid. You hear the way Jimbo talks about him, and you can’t help but have confidence. Jimbo knows quarterbacks so that carries a lot of weight. It’s likely King will turn the ball over a bit more than Mond did, but he may take more chances as well. I’m hoping with King’s legs, arm talent and wide receiver progression that Jimbo and this offense push the ball downfield more. I really think the potential is there, we just need to see it in action.
No, I don’t think Hayseed Haynes King is the second coming of Johnny Manziel, but I know he can be a solid SEC quarterback this season and help A&M win a lot of games. He is built for this and his ceiling is very high.
#BTHOKENTSTATE
