Sumlin, Spavital won't rule out QB change at Texas A&M
So it's no surprise that Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin and offensive coordinator Jake Spavital said Tuesday that there's going to be plenty of stock-taking between now and the Aggies' Nov. 1 game against ULM. But it might raise some eyebrows that both coaches said the quarterback position -- featuring starter Kenny Hill -- wouldn't be exempt from that "evaluation."
“There isn't anything that's off the table -- any position -- and we're evaluating where we are right now,” Sumlin said, per the Houston Chronicle.
"All positions are open over this bye week," Spavital said. "I'm going to find the 11 guys who want to go out there and fight and play. It's a physical sport, and you've got to go out there and fight."
According to the Austin American-Statesman, Sumlin's exact words when "asked specifically about Hill" were:
I don't know. We've got a bunch of practice. We've got plenty of time and plenty of reps to determine … a lot of evaluation going on to be honest with you.
If the quarterback competition is truly open, Hill would be re-battling five-star freshman Kyle Allen, who has appeared in four games -- almost entirely in garbage time -- and thrown 38 passes for 6.9 yards per attempt.
At this point, benching Hill -- the player who was considered a serious Heisman contender less than a month ago -- and his 23-to-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio for a player of Allen's inexperience doesn't seem likely. But the freshman didn't make the decision easy for Sumlin and Spavital easy in fall camp. Hill has led the Aggies to only 10 first-half points in the team's last three games (all blowout losses), and Sumlin and Spavital have three weeks to get a hypothetical new quarterback ready before A&M's next SEC game.
In other words: the starting job is literally Hill's to lose, and it will still be a major surprise if he doesn't get the call against the Warhawks. But we don't doubt Sumlin and Spavital when they say he's got work to do between now and then.
