Texas A&M has had some dynamic players over the years, but no one can hold a candle to the level of excitement Johnny Manziel brought to the program in 2012 and 2013.
I hope I’m not spoiling anything when I say Johnny Manziel is on the Texas A&M Mount Rushmore of QBs. If you’ve followed college football at all during the last few decades, you know that’s a no-brainer.
Filling out the rest of the Aggies’ Mount Rushmore is tougher, but there are plenty of good options to choose from. Since Saturday, July 12, is Texas A&M Takeover Day on the SEC Network, we thought it would be a good time to look back at some of the top Aggie QBs over the years.
Here’s a recap of all the QB Mount Rushmore pieces we’ve done so far as we get closer to the start of SEC Media Days:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Auburn
- Florida
- Georgia
- Kentucky
- LSU
- Ole Miss
- Mississippi State
- Mizzou
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
Now, let’s dive into the 4 players who make up Texas A&M’s Mount Rushmore of QBs:
Johnny Manziel (2012-13)
When you think of Texas A&M, you think of Johnny Football. His time in College Station was absolutely electric. He led the Aggies to an 11-2 record in 2012 and a 9-4 mark in 2013.
He won the Heisman Trophy as a freshman in 2012, throwing for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns while rushing for 1,410 yards and 21 scores. One of the 11 wins in 2012 came in Tuscaloosa against No. 1 Alabama. Manziel’s highlights from that game were insane:
When it comes to pure excitement, never knowing what might happen, Manziel and Auburn legend Cam Newton might be in a class of their own in recent SEC history.
Kellen Mond (2017-20)
Look at almost any career passing statistic in Texas A&M football history and Mond’s name is usually at the top of the list. He threw for 9,661 yards and 71 touchdowns during his 4 years with the Aggies, while also completing a school-record 801 passes (151 more than the second-place QB).
Mond won 33 games during his Texas A&M career, leading the Aggies to a 9-1 overall record, a No. 4 finish in the AP Poll and a No. 5 finish in the College Football Playoff rankings during the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
Mond may have had his detractors at times, but he was consistently strong and made some big-time plays during his Aggie career.
Jerrod Johnson (2007-10)
That second-place QB I mentioned in the Mond section above? It’s Johnson. Jerrod Johnson put up some impressive numbers during his time in College Station and held most career passing records for the Aggies until Mond came along.
Johnson didn’t win a bowl game during his Aggie stint, but he did throw for 8,011 yards and 67 touchdowns while adding 877 yards and 16 scores on the ground. He was a talented dual-threat QB who consistently showed up and did great things for his team.
Bucky Richardson (1987-91)
I’ve mentioned a lot of stats with the other 3 QBs on this list, but playing the quarterback position isn’t just about numbers. Richardson was a fan-favorite at A&M during his career.
Richardson only threw for 3,039 yards and 14 scores during his 5 seasons at Texas A&M (he missed the 1989 season due to a knee injury). But he made a major impact as a runner, setting a Southwestern Conference record for most rushing yards by a QB with 2,095 (to go with 30 touchdowns on the ground).
The Aggies won the SWC title in 1987 when Richardson was a lightly used freshman. They also won the SWC crown in 1991, when Richardson was the driving force for an offense that went 10-2 overall and a perfect 8-0 in SWC play.
Honorable Mentions: Ryan Tannehill, Reggie McNeal, Kevin Murray, Stephen McGee
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
