We've been discussing the senior aggie qb challenge for a few weeks now, and now that the racial issue is really rearing it's head over in BCS, there is a real possibility that Mond will not be the starter by the end of the season. Maybe not even before the season.
With that said, years ago on some previous version of Surly/shaggy/hornfans, I compiled a history of aggie qb's in this century. Not having a clue where to look for it, I decided to make it again, so here you go.
1987 - 1991
Your Holiness, John “Bucky” Powell Richardson – The Patron Saint of aggie football (until Johnny Manziel)
Bucky came off the bench in his freshmen season and beat none other than Brett Favre in Mississippi. Has any sip QB done that? Didn’t think so! From that win, Bucky went on to start 41 in a row and graduated a hero. Aggies everywhere offer their goats as penance.
1992 – 1995: Corey Pullig
Like Saint Bucky, Pullig wasn’t the announced started in his true freshmen year, but he came off the bench and took the job and never looked back. 40 consecutive starts, and winning nothing due to the fact that they were on probation much of that time.
1996 – 1999: Randy McCown
The last of a dying breed; yet another four year started for the fightin’ Texas aggies. Randy came in during the 8th game of his RS freshmen year and got a win. He didn’t start them all between then and his final game, mostly due to injuries, but he did start the final game of his senior season, which, as we know, is no small feat these days.
Here we go:
2000 – 2002: Mark Farris
Farris cut his illustrious AA baseball career short just have the opportunity to don the marron and white. He came in as a 26 year savior and did not disappoint. He played a few of the games that McCown was injured in 1999 then started every game in the next two seasons. In 2002, Farris struggled in the first two and was ultimately benched in the second for Dustin Long, and by game three, Slocum was ready to go with the freshmen savior du jour….
2002 – 2005: Reggie “The Real Deal” McNeal, infinitely better than some scrub named Vincent.
Real Deal was able to unseat a 28 year old professional baseball player through shear will and determination and aggie spirit. Unfortunately, he got injured soon thereafter and Dustin Long had to start for a while. Reggie did start all of the games in 2003 and 2004 and was a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brian award. But then…his senior year arrived. In 2005, Reggie struggled with injuries and competence, which doesn’t bode well for aggie seniors. Especially when one of the most aggie of all aggies, phenom Stephen McGee is waiting in the wings to snatch that job. As it ends, despite being better than Vince Young, Reggie was forced to watch from the bench as Vince Young won at Kyle Field on his way to Pasadena.
2005 – 2008: Stephen McGee
After stealing the job from Reggie McNeal, McGee went on to start every game for the next two years. You would think that a senior coming off of a season where they generated 62% of the team’s offense and had started 25+ in row would be the undisputed starter, but you’d be wrong. McGee had to compete with another QB that was better than Vince Young, Jerrod Johnson, for the starting spot. He barely edged out Johnson for the first game start. McGee struggled in that start and ended up losing it. In game 2, McGee was “injured” and had to relinquish the spot to Johnson until……The final game of the season, against the dreaded sips, McGee was allowed to start. Much like his previous games, McGee put on a “gritty” performance in the loss, but won the “Aggie Spirit” award at the teams December banquet for being such a good sport about his senior year benching.
2008 – 2010: Jerrod Johnson
In 2009 Johnson beat out the number two best QB on the team so badly that he was removed from the QB room to play WR instead. Johnson proved his chops by starting every one of the games in the 6-6 campaign. 2010 started with Johnson as the preseason Big12 Offensive player of the year, and you won’t believe this, but also as a “dark horse Heisman contender”. Johnson watched the last 5 games of the season from the comfort of the bench as some WR went on to throw for 13 TD’s to go with the 11 TD receptions he had in the first half of the season.
2011: Ryan Tannehill
Coming off the heels of the wildly successful 2010 season where he was able to unseat the amazing Jerrod Johnson as the starter, the former WR was able to something rare for a senior aggie QB this century and he was able to start every game of that senior season. His career as an aggie ended as Justin Tucker sailed a ball through the uprights at Kyle Field and a huge win over Big10 POWER, Northwestern University in a riveting Texas Bowl matchup.
2012 – 2013: Johnny Football!!
What can I say here? The guy came in with all of the accolades of a three star player that had been arrested for a racist fight before his RS freshmen season. It was such a tizzy that he contemplated leaving when then Coach Sumlin threatened to discipline him. As common sense prevailed, Johnny won the starting spot and went on to really do nothing of real substance that season except for beatin’ bama that one time! And coming in third in his division. For that, Johnny won the Heisman trophy! 2013 came in with John assuredly the favorite to repeat as the Heisman winner and hoist a Natty!! He built on the success of the Heisman by illegally selling autographs to fans and going on cocaine fueled benders to Vegas. This dedication to his craft led to the aggies again finishing third in their division. Unable to cope with the stresses of following NCAA rules and general coaching, Johnny sought the greener pastures of the NFL and made good on his previous tweet promise that stated “I can’t wait to get out of College Station”. I believe that this marks the first senior aggie QB to voluntarily bench himself before his senior campaign.
2014: Kenny “Trill” Hill
After backing up the GOAT in 2012, Trill was ready for his chance to shine. He came out gunsablazin and whooped South Carolina. He was so exhausted in his effort that he fell asleep on a planter in the famous Northgate district. He continued to shine against some FCS greats but noticeably suffered fatigue once the actual Division 1 games started. Kenny was ultimately benched for True Freshmen extraordinaire, Kyle Allen. Hill took the benching well and was disciplined by the team and ultimately quit to become a Horned Frog.
2014 – 2015: Kyle Allen
Coming off the successful season and the tremendous effort Allen put up after taking the reins from Kenny Trill, the path to the starting job in 2015 was simple. All Allen had to do was beat aggie legacy, Texas High School Football legend, Native Endorian, Kyler Murray. Allen won the starting job and then won the first five games of the season. In the 6th game against Alabama, Allen threw three pick sixes and was suddenly “injured” and had to be replaced by Murray.
2015: Kyler Murray
Murray came in as a projected four year Heisman winner and future NFL Hall of Famer. Once given his shot on the field, Murray was able to show both his penchant for sliding and his thin skin. Though “injured” against Alabama in game 6, suddenly Allen was thrust back into the starting role as Murray struggled. This was the fastest known quitting of a “leader” in aggie school history. Through superior coaching and roster management by Sumlin, both Allen AND Murray left at the end of the 2015 campaign.
2016: Trevor Knight/Jake Hubestank
Knight makes the cut of aggie QB’s that even played in their senior year simply by virtue of all of the other aggie QB’s from the previous year leaving in order to avoid being aggies. Trevor likely would have followed in the footsteps of aggie great, QB>WR>QB, Ryan Tannehill, and been a senior year ONLY started for the ags. Unfortunately, the injury bug struck Trevor and he was replaced by “the Stank” for a few games. Fortunately for Trevor and the LSU Tigers, the injury Gods shined down on Trevor just in time to heal him and get him back into game for a loss to the Tigers late in the 2016 season.
2017 – Present: Kellen Mond
With heavyweights such as Nick Starkel and Jake Hubestank breathing down his neck, Kellen Mond was able to secure the starting QB slot during the 2017 season and has not relinquished it since. Known for consistency and stepping up in big games, Mond expects big things in his upcoming senior season. Barring a racial war on campus or a COVID shutdown, Mond is poised to join the elite club of 20th century aggie qb’s who finish their senior season.