Nick Starkel recovered from ankle injury; to serve as Kellen Mond's backup
Texas A&M quarterback Nick Starkel is back on the depth chart. But not where he started the season.
Starkel was the team’s starter vs. UCLA in Week 1 and as Texas A&M jumped out to a 41-10 lead over the Bruins. But A&M’s fortunes started to go south in the 45-44 loss after Starkel suffered a broken left ankle.
He warmed up before A&M’s win Saturday night at Florida, a game where freshman Kellen Mond was the team’s starting quarterback.
“Nick is healthy, he’s not 100 percent. I thought it was important that he’s re-engaged in what we’re doing and warming up and on the field for an atmosphere like that, particularly if we need him,” Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said on his weekly radio show Monday night.
Sumlin praised Starkel’s engagement with the team and with Mond during his recovery and said he’d done a “great job” being a good teammate. But with Mond improving every week, Starkel is now behind Mond on the depth chart.
“He’s healthy, he comes back as our backup guy,” Sumlin said. “And as he continues to get healthy that’s going to be important for him to be engaged with this football team because just like anything else you’re always one play away.”
Mond is 96-179 passing for 1,225 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s also the team’s third-leading rusher with 80 carries for 318 yards and three scores. Before his injury, Starkel was 6-13 for 62 yards.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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