How in the holy hell is that kid ever better than Bond. Elko started him in the two biggest games of his career and in A&M's in the last 50 years.
Jared Zirkel wtf his misses cost us the Texas and Miami game. Yes we had other issues but Bond has missed as well but he had earned the right to start those two games.
Elko's proven he's loyal but Zirkel is awful and seeing him on the sideline smirking infuriates me and causes me to question him.

Good point. Missing that first field goal (badly) turned out to be a huge deal.

The misses didn't cost us the games. But the fact that Elko didn't realize Bond was the better choice despite Bond not being accurate long is a concern.

We don't have a good kicker on the roster.

Getting enraged about which bad kicker starter is just too far down the list to care about, IMO. Both of them are around 60% and if either one goes in and misses, it's easy to say "How can you have started THAT guy"

I couldn't fathom sitting a 5th year player over total inexperience in situations like that. Just didn't make sense.

I'm sorry this inexcusable everything else I'm fine with, but Jared Zirkel. wtf

Logos Stick said:

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The misses didn't cost us the games. But the fact that Elko didn't realize Bond was the better choice despite Bond not being accurate long is a concern.

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It's the decision to start Zirkel in both of those games.

Going into the game, Zierkel was 4/6 (67%)
Bond was 11/18 (61%)

This idea that Zierkel is trash and Bond was great is just silly.

It's 100% hindsighting.

It's a risk to handle kickers the way Elko did and it sure didn't pay off. Bond had been there, he had made big kicks in big situations and was clearly a better kicker. If you're going to make a change you better have a really good kicker behind him. We didn't.

Not my point but Bond has earned the right to start and he has made big kicks. Zirkel did not deserve to start is my point.

I wouldnt stand to the point that it cost us the game. But the fact that we are in the first round of the playoffs and we were playing flip the coin with our kickers was concerning and it ended up being a significant concern

His misses cost us the being able to win or tie both games.

The kicking game was one giant Zirkel jerk.

Bond can't hit anything past 40 yards, but is pretty good with short to mid range attempts. Zirkel shouldn't have been out there unless it was a long kick.

Your biggest issue was a missed fg and not a QB that was missing windows by 5-7 yards and had 3 turnovers. Do better

Mr.Milkshake said:

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Your biggest issue was a missed fg and not a QB that was missing windows by 5-7 yards and had 3 turnovers. Do better

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No elkos decision to start him.

80,000 kids in this school... surely one of them was a kicker in high school... Open ****ing tryouts. It shouldn't be this difficult.

JDCAG (NOT Colin) said:

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Going into the game, Zierkel was 4/6 (67%)
Bond was 11/18 (61%)

This idea that Zierkel is trash and Bond was great is just silly.

It's 100% hindsighting.

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Zirkel's misses were in general from closer and looked much worse (so low that he's easy to block). Adds a whole another variable to him making... Has to get lucky to make it by the line and then be on target.

Bond was the easy choice.

Overall boy kicked better than our wealthy roster kickers.

Randy's dad is one of my best friends from our time in the band, and I am very proud of Randy's career at A&M.

Games Won by His Kicks

• 2025 vs. Notre Dame (41-40): In one of the most exciting games of the season, the Aggies scored a touchdown with 13 seconds left to pull within one. Bond's perfect extra point provided the winning 41st point to upset the #8 Irish.
• 2025 vs. South Carolina (31-30): During Texas A&M's historic 27-point comeback, Bond was under immense pressure. Though he struggled with field goals that day, his 4-for-4 performance on extra points secured the narrow one-point win.
• 2025 vs. Auburn (16-10): Bond was the primary engine for the offense, accounting for 10 of the team's 16 points (3 field goals and 1 extra point). Without his accuracy, the Aggies likely would have lost this defensive struggle.
• Arkansas (W 45-42): In a high-scoring shootout, Bond's 6-for-6 performance on extra points and a field goal ensured the Aggies stayed ahead by exactly one field goal.
• 2023 vs. Arkansas (34-22): Bond set a rhythm for the team by going 5-for-5 on field goals. His 15 points from field goals alone outscored Arkansas' entire offensive output for the majority of the game.
• 2022 vs. Miami (17-9): In his first season, Bond's early field goals provided the breathing room necessary for the defense to hold off a late Hurricanes surge.

Major Records & Milestones

• All-Time Career Leader: With his field goal against Miami in the 2025 CFP, he is now tied for 1st all-time in Texas A&M history for career field goals made (71).
• Single-Season Scoring: His 126 points in 2023 remain the school record for most points by a kicker in a single season.
• The "Perfect" Streak: He finished his career having never missed an extra point (155/155).
• Regular Season Led the SEC in scoring in 2023 (9.7 points/game). In 2024, he set a career-long with a 55-yard field goal against South Carolina.
• Bowl Games In the 2023 Texas Bowl vs. Oklahoma State, he went a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals, including a clutch 51-yarder late in the 4th quarter.

Field Goal Distance Breakdown (Career)

• Short Range (1-29 yards): 25 for 26 (96%)
• Mid Range (30-39 yards): 19 for 22 (86%)
• Long Range (40-49 yards): 19 for 33 (57.5%)
• Deep Range (50+ yards): 8 for 14 (57%)

Randy never lost a game because of a missed kick in his 4 years

We should have gone for it on 4th and 4.

The fact that Zirkel didn't realize you have to elevate more for the closer field goals should be concerning

Unreliable kicking also screws up your offense. You have to force things that you shouldn't. All season long it was clear that they didn't trust the kickers.

The kick was embarrassing at this level of competition.

JDCAG (NOT Colin) said:

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Going into the game, Zierkel was 4/6 (67%)
Bond was 11/18 (61%)

This idea that Zierkel is trash and Bond was great is just silly.

It's 100% hindsighting.

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That's misleading...coming into this game

Bond was 6-7 inside 40 (86%)
Zierkel was 4-6 inside 40 (67%)

Inside 40 Bond had only missed 1 kick. Inside 40 we should always use Bond. That first chip shot miss was all on the coach.

All of Zierkel's attempts have been inside 40 yards but you want to compare that to Bond kicking 11 over 40? Give me a break. Come on, look into the stats a little more than surface level.