Where does Kellen rank all time?
Who is on your Aggie QB Mount Rushmore?
With day one of the NFL Draft behind us and Kellen still waiting to hear his name called, I wondered where A&M fans think Kellen Mond ranks in Aggie quarterback history? He holds many records, but he also started over 40 games, as his detractors will quickly point out. Many fans voiced their displeasure with Mond over his career for inconsistent play, myself included. Now that all the dust has settled on number 11’s career in Maroon and White, is there a consensus? Let’s dig in.
To set the table, Mond holds the all time career record for Texas A&M in passing yards with 9,661; passing touchdowns with 71; and he is tied with Johnny for all time total touchdowns with 93.
Johnny Manziel is clearly the best A&M quarterback of all time. Although Mond surpassed many of his records, there is no doubt who the more electric player was. And yes, Johnny did so in far less games than Mond. It will be hard for any future A&M quarterback to eclipse Johnny in both production and pure love from our rabid fan base. It’s nearly impossible to quantify what Johnny meant to the A&M football program. Kyle Field is often referred to as “The House that Johnny Built” and, although a funny nickname, it is 100% true. If Johnny never shows up in College Station, that renovation would not have happened. At least not at the time.
Johnny Heisman. Photo: Henry Ray Abrams, AP Photo
Enough about Johnny, we know #2 is number one. But is Mond next in line as the best Aggie QB ever? I’m here to tell you he is. Before everyone gets up in arms, let me explain. Bucky Richardson was great and he led some great teams to conference championships in his day. But he was more of a running quarterback as he ran for over 2,000 yards in his career but only threw for 3,039 yards, good enough for 17th all time. If an old Ag wants to fight me and tell me Bucky was better, I won’t argue too hard but I think Mond’s statistics and his team being outmatched very often put him ahead of Bucky. Additionally, the highest final ranking A&M achieved under Bucky was #9 in 1991, while Mond just led A&M to a #4 final ranking.
A few other legendary Aggie quarterbacks that come to mind in this debate are Stephen McGee, Reggie McNeal and Jerrod Johnson. I loved watching McGee. Guy was tough as nails and a true leader, but statistically, he doesn't come very close to Mond. Before we get any further - I understand the game has evolved since Bucky, McGee and all these others played. The offenses are more wide open now, there are more games played and teams are throwing the ball more. But it isn’t like Mond was in a Mike Leach offense. Jimbo runs a pro-style system so Mond spent the majority of his career in a balanced system, rather than throwing it 50 times per game.
Reggie McNeal and Jerrod Johnson are other Aggie legends who rank in the top 5 of most statistical categories for quarterbacks. But again, Mond is ahead of both. It gets really tough to compare era to era. Maybe if the tables were turned and Reggie McNeal played from 2017 to 2020 he would have been better to Mond, but we will never know. I’m just going on what I saw and what is in the A&M record books.
Reggie McNeal back in the day.
I’ll mention Tannehill in passing because I love the guy, but he didn't play QB long enough or have enough success to be considered an all-time great. He’s done excellent in the NFL and all Aggies are damn proud of his success, but his time in Aggieland was not as good as the others mentioned here.
Now that we have compared Mond statistically with some older Aggie legends, let me solidify my case for Mond being the second-best quarterback in A&M history. Timing is everything here. After Johnny Manziel lit College Station, and the entire college football world on fire, for two years, A&M was riding high. We had swag, we had top recruits, we had a new stadium, we had it all...or so we thought. Johnny covered up so many cracks in the foundation it’s a wonder that the stadium is still standing. Just kidding, we are an elite engineering school and the stadium is strong as hell. But the point is still true: once Johnny left A&M, Sumlin and A&M were exposed, and our run in the upper echelon of the SEC was over.
The Aggies became a wasteland for quarterbacks. Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray both left. Trevor Knight came in and put a quick bandaid on the situation but in hindsight, it was clear the program was not going where everyone thought it would when Johnny was around. All that came to a head in 2017 with the loss to UCLA and the entire disappointing 2017 season - Mond’s freshman year.
Photo: Sam Craft, Houston Chronicle
Kellen was thrown to the wolves with an average roster. Did he play great? No. But he showed some flashes (Remember the Arkansas run in Jerry World?) and a ton of toughness to take a whipping nearly every week and keep going out there. Even after he didn't expect to be the starter but was thrust into action after Starkel went down in game one.
Fast forward to 2018, Jimbo came to town and there was another quarterback competition. Mond won out and frankly, his numbers are pretty good since Fisher arrived. Yes, he had some total duds and wasn't consistent for an entire year until his senior season. But he grinded against the best competition in the country and led A&M to a 9-4 record in 2018, 8-5 record in 2019 (including losses to several teams ranked #1 in what was one of the hardest schedules of all-time), and closed out his career going 9-1 in 2020.
In a recent interview, Mond said he has played against 20 first-round defenders in his career so far. Keep in mind, this does not include guys who had yet to be drafted at the time of the interview like Partick Surtain, Jaycee Horn, Derek Stingley, etc. After a few years, that number will probably be over 30 guys that he played against being drafted in the first round. Often outmatched, Mond never was shaken and he led by example. If you listened to how his teammates speak of him, you will know the kind of leader he was, despite not having a fiery sideline presence like Johnny.
In the end, this is a silly debate. Does it really matter what order the all-time great Aggie quarterbacks are in? No. It’s something we’ll debate as Aggie fans until kingdom come. I just wanted to give a shout out to a guy who wore the Aggie uniform with pride and gave stability to a program that desperately needed it during his tenure. We needed a leader. Someone to stick around through thick and thin. And Mond was that guy. He walked through the fire, poised and determined, and came out a winner.
I’m excited to see where he ends up in the NFL draft and I think whatever team gets him will be very happy with the man they draft. A big gig’em goes out to Kellen Mond; The Junction Blog wishes you the best. Now let's hope the next starting quarterback is even better.
#BTHONFLDraft
