Any day now,Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher is expected to name a starting quarterback. The Aggies held their final scrimmage Sunday with Zach Calzada and Haynes King giving Fisher a final look.

“We’ll make a decision,” Fisher said Friday. “We’ll have to make one relatively soon. I’ve been very pleased with both guys, and both guys have had good camps.”

It has been the least controversial and least heated quarterback battle, at least publicly, in recent memory and that says a lot about the way Fisher — and the QBs — have handled the situation. It also helps that both candidates have outstanding qualities and each appears qualified for the job.

The hope is that regardless of who wins the job, the other will hang around and not enter the transfer portal. Because in the SEC, a team needs all the help it can get, especially from that crucial of all positions.

So, who gets the nod?

Well, your guess is as good as mine. Fisher says both have NFL talent. Both are similar in size; Calzada is 6-4 and 210 pounds while King is 6-3, 200.

Both lack game reps. Calzada appeared in 3 games in 2019, completing 12-of-24 passes for 133 yards and 2 TDs with 1 pick. He had a quarterback rating of 115.72 in that extremely small sample size. Likewise, King played in 2 games in 2020, completing 2-of-4 passes for 59 yards and a TD, also with 1 interception. King’s QB rating was 206.4.

So as far as experience goes, while Calzada has been in the program for one more year than King, he really doesn’t have a meaningful edge in actual playing time.

“They’ve both been in our system and understand all of the offense,” offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey said.

Calzada has a cannon and the pocket passer gives the Aggies a deep threat it hasn’t had in quite some time. Kellen Mond had a big arm, too, but the Aggies didn’t exactly take advantage of it. A&M completed just 15 passes that covered 30+ yards in 2020. In 2019, the Aggies completed just 10 such passes; only South Carolina was worse.

“Zach may be one of the best throwers of the ball that I’ve worked with,” Dickey said.

But is that what the Aggies most want and need from their quarterback? According to Fisher, that’s just one aspect of it.

“Demeanor, body language and all that stuff; that’s just as important to me as the other parts of it,” Fisher said. “You start getting those things when you start getting comfortable in what you’re doing. That means knowledge of what’s happening. They feel very comfortable out there.”

Here’s the biggest difference between the two and in my opinion the attribute that will tilt the decision in King’s favor. King has a very good arm, good touch on his passes, and he’s very mobile as well, and his mobility is what separates the two.

King runs a 4.4 40 and is more suited to today’s game. If this were 10 years ago, I’d want Calzada under center. But in 2021 where quarterbacks can beat you with their arm or their feet, it’s King that should be calling signals on Sept. 4 against Kent State in Kyle Field.

And I think most would agree.

“Haynes is probably one of the best pure athletes on the team,” Dickey said.

If you look back at the quarterbacks who have beaten Alabama, you’ll find that most had the ability to extend plays with their feet and then make big plays. And let’s face it, beating Alabama is the goal. It’s a big reason Johnny Manziel won the Heisman. It’s why Fisher is at College Station, it’s why Texas A&M opened its wallet to get him here.

Go back to 2012, last time the Aggies beat Bama, Manziel was running Tide LBs silly and made plenty of chunk plays through the air. In 2019, LSU’s Joe Burrow nimbly eluded Alabama’s rush and was able to extend and make big plays.

That’s what it takes in today’s game to be elite. We saw on occasion what Mond could do with his feet and deceptive speed. King has that ability and is more athletic than Mond.

“Zach is probably going to be a lot better in the pocket for his game,” Dickey said. “Haynes is going to be a guy who can really extend plays and probably keep the defense a little more honest, probably a little more scared, with his ability to make plays with his feet.”

That’s where King has the edge over Calzada and why I believe that Fisher should, and will, name him the next starting quarterback at Texas A&M.