When a quarterback controversy prompts two five-star recruits to transfer, the last thing you want is another heated debate among your signal-callers.

Perhaps that was what led Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin to name Oklahoma graduate transfer Trevor Knight the Aggies’ starting quarterback for the upcoming season.

It’s been Sumlin’s preference not to name a starting quarterback until the fall. But Sumlin didn’t take that long to make up his mind.

Knight has proven leadership qualities that players picked up on from the day he stepped on campus. Aggies leader on defense, Myles Garrett, publicly lauded Knight’s ability to light a fire under the team.

“Just fired up,” Garrett told campusrush.com. “It’s a big difference from last year. The mindset — guys are just so cranked into being so much better. We’re so disappointed with how we left off last year. We turned it completely around, what we’re doing around here. Hopefully people will see that next season.”

Apparently Sumlin is also “cranked” over Knight’s performance during spring workouts.

Knight culminated his introduction to the program and new OC Noel Mazzone’s system by completing 25-of-36 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns in the Maroon and White spring game. Knight also threw an interception and ran for one touchdown.

The table was slanted in Knight’s favor when reserve QB Jake Hubenak fell ill, leaving Knight with the majority of the snaps.

Sumlin told 12thman.com that he liked Knight’s ability to work inside and outside the pocket.

“I think we saw Trevor today operate from the pocket,” Sumlin said, “but also he was able to extend some plays with his legs and move around a little bit which helps our protection, particularly when it’s the two ends we have rushing and when he moved around he was pretty accurate when he did it.”

Sumlin said after the spring game that he hadn’t thought about naming a starter. He said he would watch the video. Obviously he liked what he saw.

But that decision surely shouldn’t come as any big surprise.

Yes, it seems like a long time ago that Knight was named the January 2014 Sugar Bowl MVP for leading Oklahoma past Alabama. But beating Alabama is something the Aggies must do if they hope to be taken seriously in the SEC West.

The Aggies haven’t defeated the Tide since their first year in the SEC (2012) and it took a talent like Johnny Manziel to do it.

Knight’s resume is obviously more attractive than Hubenak’s, whose only start was in the Aggies’ most recent game, a 27-21 loss to Louisville in the 2015 Music City Bowl. And while Hubenak performed admirably (307 yards, two touchdowns), he only started because his predecessors had walked out.

Knight emerged as the obvious choice and there really wasn’t any reason to prolong an announcement of it. It was the indecision in choosing which quarterback to play last season that fueled the departure of the two involved.

Sumlin showed no such tendency in his recent decision.

And now the Aggies can move forward with each quarterback understanding their roles as they head into fall camp and the 2016 season.