Marching Forward: Mond looking to take next step in year two under Fisher
Spring is a time to grow and blossom.
Texas A&M junior Kellen Mond is hoping to continue growing during spring football and eventually blossom into an elite college quarterback.
Mond was damn good as a sophomore. He passed for 3,107 yards and 24 touchdowns and rushed for 474 yards and seven more scores. The 3,581 yards of total offense he accumulated is the second-highest among Southeastern Conference quarterbacks returning for the 2019 season.
But like a roadside field of bluebonnets, Mond is aiming to expand his game this spring.
“I don’t want to be the same quarterback that I was last year,” Mond said after the Aggies’ first spring practice on Wednesday night. “I want to make the same jump — if not bigger — from my freshman to sophomore season.”
Coach Jimbo Fisher said he’s looking for Mond to improve in a variety of areas this spring. Of course, he’s also looking for that from Mond’s teammates, too.
“Overall knowledge and command and the consistency in which you play with,” Fisher said. “Decision-making, accuracy, all those things which should grow as your knowledge grows.
“And, you say that, the guys around him run better routes, the guys around him protect better, the guys around him to their job better because they know what’s going on better. That really helps him, too.”
Fisher discussed several aspects of the team. He noted cornerback Myles Jones, linebacker Anthony Hines and receiver Caleb Chapman are wearing yellow “injured” jerseys, but said they would do as much work as possible and would be healthy by August camp.
He touched on the competition at center between Ryan McCollum, Colton Prater, Barton Clement and Luke Matthews, who will also work at guard.
He praised running back Jashaun Corbin and raved about the depth at running back and receiver.
Without question, though, the main topic of conversation was Mond’s continued development. Quarterbacks under Fisher have previously flourished in their second year in his system. If that trend continues a big year could be in store for Mond in 2019.
He closed last season by throwing six touchdown passes in a 74-72 seven overtime victory over LSU and then followed by leading the Aggies to a 52-13 Gator Bowl win over North Carolina State.
Fisher is hopeful Mond will continue that momentum into spring drills and then… ahem, springboard into an even better, more consistent showing next season, which begins Aug. 29 at Kyle Field against Texas State.
“At the end of the year he had success bringing a team back on a big victory (and) winning a bowl game, which we hadn’t done,” Fisher said.
“(He’s) learning how to prepare. You could see it definitely that he feels very comfortable with what we’re doing and a lot more advanced in how he’s talking, the reads. You can just see it.”
Onlookers at practice could also see how Mond has grown physically. He said he’s added five pounds of muscle and hopes to add another five pounds and play at about 220 pounds.
Fisher just wants to see continued growth… physically and mentally.
“I hope his confidence grows,” Fisher said. “I hope his execution grows. You can never be content. You’ve go too keep going to the next level. Good enough can never be good enough.”