Texas A&M’s quarterbacks have attracted a lot of attention since Kevin Sumlin took over the program before the 2012 season.

We all remember the hysteria surrounding Johnny Manziel and the over-hyping of Kenny Hill early last year. Now, the Aggies have Kyle Allen, who was Rivals.com’s No. 1 quarterback prospect coming out of high school and his backup Kyler Murray, who was 247Sports’ top dual-threat recruit earlier this year.

But the quarterback to watch as the Aggies open the season Saturday in Houston was just a three-star recruit who waited patiently in a backup role for three years. Despite a long road, Arizona State senior Mike Bercovici could be poised to put up big numbers.

Bercovici found himself buried on the depth chart at Arizona State, where Taylor Kelly was a successful three-year starter for the Sun Devils. Bercovici was Kelly’s primary backup last season and got an opportunity to start three games while Kelly battled injuries. He showed enough in that period to become a fan favorite in Tempe and has the Sun Devil faithful eager to see what he can do as a full-time starter.

 Opponent Att.-Comp. Yards/TDs
UCLA 42-68 488/3
USC 27-45 510/5
Stanford 23-33 245/1

Bercovici transferred to Taft High School in Woodland Hills, Calif., before his junior season, but was ruled ineligible that year because of transfer rules. After a fantastic senior season he had interest from Boise State, Oregon State, Utah and others, but Arizona State was the first to offer a scholarship and he jumped on it.

But he mostly stayed on the sidelines in relative anonymity until Kelly injured his foot and he was thrust into the national spotlight after throwing a last-second Hail Mary touchdown to beat Southern California.

Now he’s ready to start the season against an Aggies team that has some question marks in the secondary and allowed 234 passing yards per game last season, ranking 80th in the country. If Texas A&M isn’t careful, the big non-conference game broadcast in primetime on ESPN could become a breakout party for the Arizona State quarterback who has patiently waited his turn.

“I’ve been around the guys where it’s all about football, and Bercovici is a very mature person and he understands the big picture of life,” Kelly, who is now a graduate assistant at ASU, told Tucson.com. “He’ll take opportunities and make the most out of them.”

Bercovici is also fortunate to have some talented players around him to help ease into the starting job. Running back Demario Richard returns after rushing for 478 yards last year.

After rushing for more than 1,000 yards, D.J. Foster is moving from running back (after rushing for more than 1,000 yards last year) to wideout. Junior tight end Kody Kohl, who caught four touchdown passes in 2014, is another big target for Bercovici.

ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS CLOSER LOOK

Top returning player, offense: D.J. Foster, Sr. WR — Last year as a running back, Foster rushed for 1,081 yards, but showed his pass catching ability with 62 receptions for 688 yards and three touchdowns. He’s switching to receiver full time to help an inexperienced group.

Top returning player, defense: Viliami Moeakiola, Jr. LB — Moeakiola was outstanding in 2014, racking up 72 tackles, including 10.5 for a loss and five sacks. His aggressiveness helps set the tone of the whole Sun Devils defense.

Top returning player, special teams: Zane Gonzalez, Jr.. K — Overall, special teams wasn’t a strong suit for Arizona State last year, but Gonzalez earned second-team All-Pac 12 honors after making 50 of 52 extra points and 22 of 27 field goals.