Fisher's pick at QB may define outcome of Texas A&M's 2022 season

Texas A&M football coach Jimbo Fisher is paid big money to make difficult and correct decisions.

Sometime in the upcoming days — perhaps in a press conference scheduled for Wednesday — Fisher will choose a starting quarterback among Haynes King, Max Johnson and Conner Weigman.

Fisher’s handsome salary ensures he can afford almost anything. However, he cannot afford to make the wrong decision at quarterback.

The Aggies undeniably have made progress in four seasons under Fisher. But he’s being paid to field a championship-caliber team.

So five years into Fisher’s tenure in College Station, it’s time for A&M to start drawing big dividends on its investment.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Fisher, one of the highest-paid coaches in the collegiate ranks, will earn $95 million over the next 10 years after a contract extension in 2021.  

That starts with making the right decision at quarterback.

Fisher made the right decision with Kellen Mond over Nick Starkel in 2018. The Aggies posted a 9-4 finish and came enticingly close to a 10-win campaign.

He made the right decision with Mond over Zach Calzada in 2020. Mond had the best year of his career.

Not coincidentally, A&M finished 9-1 against an All-Southeastern Conference regular season. The Aggies were ranked No. 4 in the final national polls and were probably underrated.

It’s assumed Fisher made the right decision last year when he opted for King over Calzada, but as we know all-too-well, King suffered a broken leg in the second game.

Calzada was forced into the starting lineup and was woefully inconsistent.

Though Calzada played exceptionally well in a 41-38 upset of Alabama, his overall quarterback rating was 123.67.

Only five other Power 5 quarterbacks who passed for at least 1,500 yards had lower quarterback ratings.

Washington’s Dylan Morris had a 123.61 rating, Clemson’s DJ Uiagalelei was 108.65, Iowa’s Spencer Petras was 117.34, Wisconsin’s Graham Mertz was 121.29 and Rutger’s Noah Vedral was 112.67.

Substandard quarterback play was the primary reason A&M limped to an 8-4 finish in 2021.

The Aggies project to be much better in 2022. They must be better at quarterback, though.

Calzada’s quarterback rating was a mere 85.23 in a 20-10 loss to Arkansas. His rating was 123.2 in a 26-22 loss to Mississippi State. He was just 95.02 in a 29-19 loss to Ole Miss.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Last season, Haynes King played in only two games before being sidelined with a season-ending injury. 

Although there were other issues, poor quarterback play obviously was a major factor in those three losses.

Certainly, there are other questions facing the Aggies this season. Will the left side of the offensive line be reliable? Will a tight end emerge to replace the production of the departed Jalen Wydermyer? Will the pass rush, which registered 39 sacks in 2021, remain a formidable force?

Still, the quarterback question is without a doubt the primary area of concern.

King is scary fast. His speed could add an extra element to stress the defense. Yet, he’s played in only two SEC games in his career. Those were in mop-up duty of a loss to Alabama and a blowout victory over South Carolina in 2020.

Johnson has started 14 games for LSU. He’s thrown 35 touchdown passes and seven interceptions. But LSU’s record in those 14 games was just 8-6.

Weigman is said to be immensely talented but, as a true freshman, obviously has no collegiate experience.

Fisher has to make the right decision. He has to show he can or has developed a quarterback who can make A&M a legitimate threat to Alabama in the Southeastern Conference West Division race.

Good quarterback play likely enables the Aggies to make a run at 10 victories.

An exceptional quarterback means A&M could give Alabama a run for its money.