A year ago, the question of who would be Texas A&M’s starting quarterback in 2016 would have caused quite a passionate debate. The Aggies seemed so loaded, so secure. In back-to-back recruiting classes (2014-15), Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin pulled in a five-star talent at the position, first Kyle Allen, then Kyler Murray.

Maybe that was the problem. Two of the nation’s top quarterback signees on the same team, vying for playing time, neither afforded the opportunity to learn from mistakes because another five-star was warming up on the sideline.

The situation made Allen and Murray so uncomfortable they left the program.

With Murray going to the Sooners to compete with former walk-on Baker Mayfield, who guided the Sooners to the 2015 College Football Playoff and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, Oklahoma graduate Trevor Knight filled the vacancy at Texas A&M by transferring to College Station.

Knight, who played in 24 games with the Sooners, starting 15, is eligible immediately and will compete against deep reserve Jake Hubenak for the Aggies’ starting job.

“I appreciate the opportunity coach Sumlin and his staff have afforded me and I look forward to making my last year of eligibility a memorable one,” Knight told 12thman.com upon deciding. “I am thankful to coach (Bob) Stoops and all of the people at OU for their help and support through the years.”

And you can be sure that Sumlin is happy to have him.

“We are excited to welcome Trevor to the Aggie family,” Sumlin told 12thman.com. “We look forward to him joining our team and know he will be a great representative of Texas A&M.”

A year ago the Allen-Murray debate over which blossoming quarterback should be the Aggies’ starter for 2016 would be raging.

What a difference a year makes.

The Noel Mazzone factor

Hubenak and Knight, both transfers, are veterans in one sense, but they’ve combined to throw just 75 passes in an A&M uniform — all obviously by Hubenak. In addition to the surroundings still being relatively new, the system itself is changing with the hiring of offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone.

Texas A&M brought in Mazzone to breathe life back into an Aggies offense that had gone stale. The quick-play, up-tempo style is what Aggies fans have grown accustomed to since Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel perfected it at College Station.

Manziel was a rare talent. But Mazzone is charged with bringing back some of that magic that excited Aggies fans and inspired administration to embark on the $450 million renovation to Kyle Field, making it the largest in the SEC in terms of seating capacity (102,512) surpassing Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium (102,455) and LSU’s Tiger Stadium (102,321).

The 58-year-old coaching veteran of more than 30 years literally wrote the book on his Nzone System with the basic goal of getting the ball snapped every 18-22 seconds. His system is built on pre-snap reads with plays that contain built-in solutions within the formation to take advantage of what the defense presents.

It’s an offense Aggies fans will recognize and is touted as quarterback friendly. And that will be the key for Knight and Hubenak. The one who is able to best digest and execute the system will get the bulk of the snaps in 2016.

Handicapping the race

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Most would agree that it will be either Knight or Hubenak under center in 2016. Those two seemed to have emerged after the dust settled from an unsettling end to the 2015 season.

Robert Cessna, executive sports editor of the Bryan-College Station Eagle, told Saturday Down South that the maturity level of both quarterbacks is among their biggest assets.

“The best thing both have going for them is they’ve had to handle adversity, and did it well,” Cessna said. “That’s probably good after last year’s freshman had a tough time adjusting to the ups-and-downs of college football.”

So, while the talent level may not equal the two departed five-star quarterbacks — Knight was a four-star out of San Antonio Reagan High School and Hubenak a two-star JUCO transfer from nearby Blinn College in Brenham — their experience will help both handle the new situation and new system.

“Trevor Knight definitely has the advantage since he’s got more big game experience, but Hubenak has been around for a year already and is more familiar with the receivers.” –Rush Roberts, Good Bull Hunting

Both are familiar with competing for snaps and maintaining a team-first approach if the race doesn’t go their way.

It’s easy to see their relationship building, even through simple posts on social media.

Rush Roberts, manager of Good Bull Hunting, told Saturday Down South that he feels like both quarterbacks possess strong points.

“Trevor Knight definitely has the advantage since he’s got more big game experience, but Hubenak has been around for a year already and is more familiar with the receivers,” Roberts said.

While Knight has the edge in games played at a high level, Roberts hints that perhaps the race could come down to a personal decision by the Aggies’ new offensive coordinator — noted for his stylish facial hair.

“This could come down to Noel Mazzone deciding which QB has the best mustache,” Roberts quipped.

The case for Knight

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Who can forget the MVP performance Knight turned in Jan. 2, 2014, when as a freshman, the dual-threat quarterback completed a Sugar Bowl-record 32 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns as No. 11 Oklahoma rolled No. 3 Alabama 45-31.

Little did we know then that would be Knight’s high-point at Oklahoma. He never equaled that number of completions in another game, and last season he lost his starting job to Mayfield.

However, Knight did throw for 2,300 yards and 14 touchdowns over 10 games in 2014 before being displaced as the Sooners’ starter in 2015. As a Sooner, Knight threw for 3,424 yards and 25 touchdowns. He’ll have to cut down on interceptions (19 at Oklahoma) and that’s where Mazzone’s system could help. Quicker, safer passes could be just what the mobile quarterback needs in his final year of college football.

“Knight appears to be a little bit more mobile, which bodes well looking at past quarterbacks Mazzone has tutored, and Knight has the edge in experience, though Hubenak looked comfortable against Louisville (in the Music City Bowl) once he settled in,” Cessna said.

The case for Hubenak

As Cessna pointed out, Hubenak looked the part when given his opportunity.

“Hubenak has the advantage of having been here and played in a bowl game, but both get a fresh start with Mazzone,” Cessna said.

He’s only appeared in five games, but the pro-style quarterback stood tall in the pocket at last year’s bowl game, throwing for 307 yards and two touchdowns — to Christian Kirk and Ricky Seals-Jones.

Overall, he completed 53 percent of his passes for 399 yards and three touchdowns last season. Perhaps most impressively, he threw just one interception in 75 attempts.

He’s more than capable as a passer. Hubenak threw for more than 4,000 yards and led the NJCC in passing during the 2014 season as a redshirt freshman at Blinn Junior College.

Plus, he’s well-acquainted with fellow transfer and Aggies receiver Damion Ratley, who during Hubenak’s breakout 2014 season, was on the receiving end of a whopping 45 passes for 1,197 yards and 20 touchdowns, according to Roberts.

The Aggies need a quarterback, not a cheerleader, but Hubenak helped hold the team together during all of the distractions last December.

Crystal ball says … Knight

Experience. There’s no substitute for it. Knight has it, at least at this level anyway. He’s proven not only the ability to lead a big-time college program, but also excel on the biggest stages.

Can he reproduce the magic of that bowl win over Alabama?USATSI_8058405_168381178_lowres

Knight has the experience and the mobility to run Mazzone’s system. Not that Hubenak couldn’t, but Knight seems to be a better fit for it. The upcoming spring practice will reveal whether that’s true.

In time we’ll find out if Knight is the quick-fix savior of a program in disarray at the end of last season, but he’s certainly a best-case scenario given the circumstances.

There’s another five-star, dual-threat quarterback on the way, but Tate Martell won’t arrive until 2017. Knight has one year to work with Mazzone to right the ship and keep the tenure of Sumlin afloat as head coach in College Station.