Jake Hubenak discusses his road to A&M, favorite playing moments & more

Key notes from Jake Hubenak interview

• I had surgery about a month ago and I’m ahead of where I should be, definitely in better shape with the shoulder than I was in-season. I’ve really just been talking to the doctors and trying to figure out when I can get back on the golf course. Hopefully now that football is done I can get some more work in on my short game.
   
• It’s the weirdest thing I’ve experienced since finishing high school, not being around the team right now. It’s really starting to hit that it’s over. I really enjoyed my time my time here and I'm just forever thankful for my time. I’m looking to get into coaching, high school or college. If you need a coach give me a call.
   
• It’s weird because you are so appreciative of everything the old coaching staff did for you, but you’re also excited for all the new opportunities they are going to have. As a lifelong Aggie, I’m really excited to see what Coach Fisher is going to do here at Texas A&M.
   
• I’ll say this about Nick Starkel, the first time I saw him take reps in the summer, he ripped a few balls down the seam and we all knew he was going to be something special. He’s had some struggles, but he was always involved this year even with the injury. I’m excited for him to get to work this offseason and have a great season next year.
   
• Nick was a guy that you would always see in the film room and getting prepared. I don’t think he will have a lot of problems picking up any kind of playbook you throw at him. He’s more of a pro-style guy anyways so I think he will do great in Coach Fisher’s offense.
   
• I think the quarterback room is in a great place right now with the young guys. You look at the national championship with Jalen and Tua, I feel like our quarterback room has a lot of the same qualities. We were always encouraging each other and talking on the sidelines.
   
• Getting to play here was one of the greatest things I’ve ever been able to do. To be able to wear the Maroon & White and get to play in some games, even start a few, is something I will never forget. I have no regrets about anything I’ve done here. For that bowl game in 2015, I wasn’t really nervous because I was really all we had at the quarterback position. At the end of the day I just locked in and played football.
   
• I had a bunch of schools calling me after my junior season of high school, but then I got hurt and schools stopped calling. The year went on and my senior season came, I figured if I had a good year someone would take a chance on me, but they didn’t. After Luke Del Rio decided to walk-on at Alabama, a spot opened up at Oklahoma State so I decided to walk-on there.
   
• I called Damion Ratley after that year at Oklahoma State and he told me I could start from day one down at Blinn. I show up and there are eight quarterbacks on campus and I figured that I would never get a rep. Ended up getting the starting job out of camp and me and Ratley ended up tearing it up. Then to get to come to Texas A&M with him was awesome.
   
• When they figured out here that Kenny Hill was going to transfer was when they started to call me. I actually took 27 hours that fall semester at Blinn so I could leave after one semester and go somewhere else. I got a message from Coach Banks on Twitter which was really exciting and that started the process.
   
• I have a lot of respect for the way Spavital handled the quarterback room in 2015. He always came in and told us the truth. I don’t think the room was as bad as it was made out to be. Both Kyler and Kyle got along and talked in the room. I really enjoyed that year and being around both of those guys. From my perspective of them leaving I was excited to start but from a tea m perspective it was really shocking.
   
• I really felt like all of those guys rallied around me and believed that I could go out there and get the job done against Louisville. I always tried to be a great teammate to guys, whether I was playing or just standing on the sideline. We knew after the bowl game that we had to bring someone else in and to get Trevor Knight, a great guy on and off the field, was huge. Having him around really improved my knowledge of the game.
   
• Going into the week of UCLA this year, Nick and Kellen had gotten the majority of the reps. I think it’s a tough situation as a coach when the lead starts disappearing. Do you stick with the guy who has been playing, or someone cold off the bench? I think at the end of the day you have to stick with the guy who’s in the game. By the opener I was completely heathy from my minor injury in fall camp. The most recent shoulder injury actually happened in the weight room the week after Nicholls State.
   
• I could barely lift my arm at the end of the season. Throughout most of the year I was always available in an emergency situation. I really couldn’t have done much in the passing game, but I could’ve gone in and handed the ball off.
   
• My favorite game as a player on the team was the Tennessee game last year. The longest game of my life, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many injuries. A game with so many ups and downs where I thought we were going to win a few times, but then Armani sealed it with the interception and Kyle Field exploded.
   
• I thin all the guys in the current quarterback room have unique characteristics, but I think Jimbo is going to bring out the best in all of them. The best coaches can adapt their offense to their players talent.
   
• You talk to a guy like Christian Kirk from Arizona who didn't know much about A&M before recruitment, he will tell you that the atmosphere  at Texas A&M is something that can’t be replicated.
   
• If I could change one outcome over my career, I would either change the outcome of the Louisville bowl game in 2015 and then the 2016 game against Ole Miss at home. Those are the two games that I really wish we would’ve won.
   
• My favorite Aggie to watch was obviously Johnny Manziel, but to make it a little more throwback, I’ll go with Reggie McNeal. That win over Oklahoma was legendary stuff around here.
   
• I'm extremely excited to sit back and watch Jimbo as an A&M fan. He has put together an amazing staff from around the country and I think they will do a great job in recruiting.
   
• I will say the funniest dudes on the team, 1A and 1B are Daylon Mack and Otaro Alaka.
   
• Being out this season and getting to watch Damion Ratley have such a great season was awesome. To see him to rebound from a few rough seasons was amazing to watch. I couldn’t be more proud of that guy.