Best QB in SEC? We’ll see
Mond confident he can back up his bold claim
Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond put on six solid pounds in the offseason and appears to have grown a bit entering his junior year.
“Might just be the shoes,” a dapper Mond said with a grin, as he glanced down at his wellheeled footwear during last week’s SEC Media Days.
Perhaps Mond (6-2, 219) looks bigger than ever in large part because of his unveiled bravado on college football’s biggest offseason stage. In his two previous seasons the San Antonian has approached interviews and on-field huddles with the quiet confidence of former Spurs great Tim Duncan.
Last week in Hoover, Ala., however, Mond came out swinging like Muhammad Ali.
“In my opinion, I’m the best one,” Mond said of the SEC’s returning quarterbacks. “That’s Among the SEC’s returning QBs, Kellen Mond ranked behind only Tua Tagovailoa in total offense last season.
not just because I’m a confident person. I actually believe that.”
Minutes prior to his declaration, Mond had visited with A&M second-year coach Jimbo Fisher.
“I told him I can come out here and say that in front of the media, but I have to go out and prove it on the field,” Mond said.
Mind you this is a league returning Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, who already has a national championship and then a national-title game showing under his belt, Georgia’s Jake Fromm, South Carolina’s Jake Bentley and LSU’s Joe Burrow, among others.
To cite the motion picture “Dodgeball,” a sports classic dedicated to the underdog, “It’s a bold strategy, Cotton, let’s see if it pays off for ’em.”
In truth Mond is not an underdog to anyone not named Tagovailoa this season. He’s already beaten Bentley twice, and last year he led A&M to a memorable seven-overtime victory over Burrow and the Tigers.
Mond ranked fourth in the SEC in total offense last season, and the top two were seniors ( Jordan Ta’amu of Mississippi and Drew Lock of Missouri). Tagovailoa was third, and unruffled by Mond’s bold claim as the best. In fact, the Hawaiian appreciated his peer shaking up things when they’re coached to keep it humdrum.
“Everyone has an opinion for themselves,” Tagovailoa said. “Everyone can say whatever they want. That’s great, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for Kellen — he’s my friend. We’ve been hanging out since Steve Clarkson’s (quarterback camp), as long as I can remember.
“I don’t take anything away from him — he’s a great football player. And if anyone else thinks they’re great, that’s good for them, too.”
The Aggies finished 9-4 last season in reaching nine victories for the first time since 2013, when 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel was running the offense.
Last season, too, Mond managed something Manziel did not, an SEC West finish as high as second place behind perennial winner Alabama, courtesy of owning the tiebreaker over LSU.
Speaking of LSU and the Aggies’ extra-innings win, Mond not only poked Tagovailoa with a stick in claiming top quarterback status, he did likewise to an entire lions’ den of Tigers.
“As you could see, a lot of the LSU players were cramping,” Mond said during SEC Media Days, as reporters perked up at his curious reflection. “And, obviously, we were standing tall on both sides of the ball.”
So tall the Aggies had the 74-72 final engraved inside their rings they received for beating North Carolina State in the Gator Bowl.
“(The LSU game) is probably one those guys will remember for the rest of their lives,” Burrow said. “I know I will. They won it, so they can put the score on their rings.”
A year ago, Mond beat out Nick Starkel for the Aggies’ starting job, and Starkel has transferred to Arkansas. Last September, the gig firmly his, Mond threw for 330 yards in the second half against Clemson, a school record for a half.
The Aggies’ comeback bid fell just short against Clemson, and the Tigers moved on to win their second national title in three seasons. The 28-26 edging of the Aggies marked Clemson’s closest call of the season, and now Mond & Co. earn another shot, this time at Clemson on Sept. 7.
“We’re going to have one of the top offenses in the country, if not the best,” Mond said.
Fans will know by Sept. 8 whether Mond's bluster is misguided babble, but at least for now it’s all fun minus the games.