Say what you want about this era of transferring quarterbacks. It’s immature, it’s disrespectful, it’s shortsighted, it’s disloyal, it’s petty, it’s weak, it’s ridiculous, it’s whatever. No matter how you feel about quarterbacks transferring at higher rates than ever, we should all be able to agree on one thing — Nick Starkel handled his transfer about as well as anybody in his position could have. At a time when it seems like the easiest thing to do is hate on a college kid for leaving early or leaving one school for another, it seems only fair to give praise to someone who was none of those aforementioned adjectives throughout the entire awkward process he dealt with at Texas A&M in 2018. That’s the thing about Starkel. Technically, he didn’t leave early. As he reminded people like myself in his announcement Tuesday night, he’ll finish his undergraduate course work at A&M in June and have 2 years of immediate eligibility as a grad transfer: https://twitter.com/NickStarkel/status/1087877672691216385 Starkel’s situation is similar to plenty of grad transfers before him. Let’s be honest. He lost his job and that’s why he’s looking for a new home. Guys like Jalen Hurts followed that path, and did so like an adult. So why is Starkel’s situation unique? I’d argue there were more factors at play that could have led to him heading down a different path. Let’s not forget that at this time last year, Starkel was the favorite to be the Aggies’ starting quarterback in 2019. He significantly outperformed Kellen Mond in 2017. Even better for Starkel’s case to win the starting gig was the fact that he threw for 499 yards and 4 touchdowns in the Belk Bowl, which was Jimbo Fisher’s first up-close look at him following his arrival in College Station in December 2017. After an offseason of keeping his quarterback decision close to the vest, we found out that Mond was going to get the first crack as Fisher’s starter. Fisher said that Starkel would still be involved in the game plan. But history suggested that once Fisher locked in on a quarterback, he was going to do everything he could to build him up. So how did Starkel react after he watched Mond light it up in the opener? Well, he took to Twitter to share his opinions about his new reality: Great TEAM Win!! Proud of all those guys that stepped on the field tonight! 12th Man was amazing!! — Nicholas Starkel (@NickStarkel) August 31, 2018 Oh, wait. He didn’t drop some subtweet that made it seem like he was getting ready to transfer? Got it. Starkel didn’t do what basically Alabama’s entire quarterback room did when Hurts took over the starting gig as a true freshman after he torched USC in the 2016 season opener. That is, transfer midseason to try and preserve a year of eligibility. Starkel had already used his redshirt year as a true freshman in 2016, so he didn’t have anything to preserve this year (it’s ironic considering he played in exactly 4 games in 2018). But try to put yourself in his shoes. Your school goes out and makes its biggest hire in program history, and even better, your new coach is known as a quarterback guru. You, a quarterback who flashed some major potential as the starter the previous season, could have as many as 3 years to work with this national championship-winning coach. Instead, the guy a year younger than you who barely completed half his passes is named the starter. Anybody who says they wouldn’t be bothered by that to some extent is lying. We never got to hear Starkel in a press conference setting because A&M’s public relations staff didn’t make him available to the media after the preseason. All we had were tweets from Starkel throughout the season. And well, the backup took to Twitter to share his opinions about his new reality: https://twitter.com/NickStarkel/status/1046169523433492480 https://twitter.com/NickStarkel/status/1065053198665302016 In 2019 I want to respond with LOVE to any circumstance! Even if it’s irrational, respond with love ❤️ — Nicholas Starkel (@NickStarkel) December 31, 2018 Oh, wait. It’s incredibly positive. It doesn’t come off as fake, either. I’m sure there have been frustrating moments for Starkel throughout this process, yet he looked like anything but someone who couldn’t wait to leave when he realized he wasn’t the guy. There weren’t viral videos of Starkel basically bashing his backup role like the one of Justin Fields after the South Carolina game. Starkel didn’t have some ominous subtweet that was clearly related to the quarterback he was set to compete with like Tate Martell, either. (Fun fact: Martell actually committed to A&M and said he’d start as a true freshman because Starkel was “a–.”) Starkel, by the way, is a career 61 percent passer with a 15-6 touchdown-interception ratio and nearly 2,000 passing yards in essentially a half season of work. There will definitely be Power 5 interest in him on the transfer market. Somebody will get a steal and have him become a 2-year starter. Maybe Starkel will be the next Joe Burrow, and he’ll instantly become a leader on a contending team. Starkel doesn’t exactly come off as a backup with an axe to grind. Between his #AlwaysSmiling mantra and his Justin Bieber undershirts on game day, Starkel clearly isn’t afraid to be himself. I’ll be honest. I questioned some of Starkel’s offseason behavior as to whether it would help him win the starting job with Fisher in town. From using social media to get reunited with a girl to making videos to try and meet Bieber on spring break, Starkel didn’t come off as someone sitting down at a job interview with his new coach. I don’t know whether that played a part in Fisher’s decision to ultimately go with Mond. I do know that Fisher really couldn’t have asked for much more out of a backup than what he got from Starkel. And even though Fisher said as recently as 3 weeks ago that he expected Starkel to be at spring practice, he had to see the writing on the wall.<doc-sep>This offseason has been one of the craziest in recent memory, and it is still January. The transfers across college football have been coming at a rapid rate with no position more active in that department than the quarterback spot. There was a seemingly neverending game of musical chairs with transferring quarterbacks, with the likes of Jalen Hurts, Justin Fields, Kelly Bryant and Tate Martell all moving on to the new programs. With players understandably not wanting to serve time as backups when they could potentially start elsewhere, many wondered if Texas A&M's Nick Starkel would follow suit. Though he originally looked to at least be sticking around for spring ball, the third-year sophomore announced on Tuesday evening that he would leaving Aggieland. Starkel plans to graduate this summer and then will be a graduate transfer, meaning he would not have to sit a year. That will give him two years of eligibility at his school of choice. Starkel actually won the starting job a year ago as a redshirt freshman, beating out then-true freshman Kellen Mond. However, an injury in the opener gave Mond the keys to the offense. Starkel then returned later in the season and won the starting job back. He capped off the year with a 499-yard performance in the team's bowl game. As a new head coach in town this past season, though, Jimbo Fisher opened the quarterback competition back up. While many expected Starkel to win it again, it instead went to Mond. Starkel saw action in blowouts, finishing 15-for-22 passing for 169 yards and a touchdown while playing in only four games. A day after making his decision known, Starkel sat down with Travis Brown of the Bryan-College Station Eagle. Starkel admits he was worried about the reaction he would get from fans. "I was kind of nervous posting it and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m going to end up with a bunch of hate, but no regrets. It’ll be good,’” he told the paper. It turns out, though, that the worry for all for naught as he received a lot of well-wishes. "That just shows the great people here in Aggieland and how they are not going to hold anything against you,” Starkel said. “They understand that life happens. They’re here for me and I’m here for them, because I’m an Aggie." Starkel says that he made his final decision on Tuesday. He called Fisher, who was on a hunting trip, to let him know. “I couldn’t live with myself, having one foot out the door and saying, ‘Yeah, I’m here for spring,’” Starkel said. “I just told Coach Fisher, ‘Look, I don’t feel comfortable with trying to look around behind your back, so I feel like it’s the best for me to let you know that I’m going to enter the portal and I’m going to go look at other options.’ He’s very supportive of me. He hated to see me go, but he’s been very helpful in this whole process and he’s going to continue to help me and reach out to coaches and stuff, with the type of guy he is.” Starkel told the paper he appreciates all that he learned from Fisher as well as all of the support he received from Aggie fans throughout the years. The question now is where he will end up. With Starkel's name having officially entered the NCAA transfer portal on Wednesday, he may not receive contact from colleges. He can essentially go through the recruiting process again and take official visits. Starkel says he is no hurry to decide, though, as he will not be able to enroll at his next school until July. "While he is open to many options for his next destination, he has an early interest in Duke, Ohio State, SMU and Arizona, where (Kevin) Sumlin, the coach who recruited him to A&M, just finished his first season," Brown wrote. "Starkel said he will utilize all of his official visits, but plans to be on campus by July 1." The entire article can be found HERE. The list of players across the country that are transferring can be found in the new 247Sports Transfer Portal.<doc-sep>In news that should surprise no one, Texas A&M Aggies redshirt sophomore quarterback Nick Starkel announced on Tuesday night that he will transfer from Texas A&M following his graduation at the end of this semester. Thank you Aggieland pic.twitter.com/7CRUy2YxkU — Nicholas Starkel (@NickStarkel) January 23, 2019 This move was expected to be coming after a 2018 season in which Starkel saw no meaningful snaps despite what seemed to be a tight quarterback battle with true sophomore Kellen Mond dating back to fall and spring camp. Starkel initially committed to Texas A&M under Kevin Sumlin in January 2016, just a few weeks after the shocking transfers of both Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray. He redshirted in 2016 with Trevor Knight at the helm for the Aggies, then won the starting job headed into the 2017 season. But Starkel’s A&M career suffered a setback as soon as it started, going down with an injury in the team’s first game against UCLA that would cause him to miss six games. He would eventually regain the starting job, including throwing for 499 yards and four touchdowns in A&M’s 55-52 loss to Wake Forest in the Belk Bowl. He is expected to graduate from Texas A&M at the end of the spring semester and will have two years of eligibility remaining. Thanks for your time in Aggieland, Nick, and good luck chasing your dreams.<doc-sep>Former Texas A&M Aggies starting quarterback Nick Starkel announced on Tuesday he will explore joining another team as a graduate transfer with two years of eligibility remaining. Starkel, a third-year sophomore from Argyle, Texas, opened the 2017 season as the Aggies' starting quarterback, but he played sparingly in four games behind Kellen Mond this past season. "I am forever thankful for all of the help I have received and I am blessed to have developed important relationships with my professors, mentors, coaches, teammates and many others," Starkel wrote. "I will always cherish my time at Texas A&M. I will be an Aggie for life! I am also excited to play more football. I will explore finishing my final two years of eligibility at another school." Starkel said in the social media post that he is scheduled to graduate in June, meaning he would be eligible to play at another school this coming season. Starkel, 6-foot-3 and 218 pounds, began the 2017 campaign as the starter, but he injured his left foot in the first half of a 45-44 season-opening loss at UCLA, in which the Aggies blew a 34-point lead. He returned to play in the Aggies' last four games, including a 55-52 loss to Wake Forest in the Belk Bowl, in which he completed 42 of 63 passes for 499 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. He set Texas A&M freshman records for passing yards, attempts, completions and touchdown passes in the bowl game. This past season, Starkel played in only four games behind Mond, completing 15 of 22 passes for 169 yards with one touchdown. Mond threw for 3,107 with 24 touchdowns under first-year coach Jimbo Fisher. During practices before the Aggies' 52-13 victory over NC State in the Dec. 31 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, Fisher said he expected Starkel to return to Texas A&M this spring. "We've had a few [conversations], and I anticipate him being back at spring practice," Fisher said. If Starkel leaves, the Aggies will have three scholarship quarterbacks behind Mond, rising sophomore Connor Blumrick, redshirt freshman James Foster and early enrollee Zach Calzada.<doc-sep>
BATON ROUGE, LA - NOVEMBER 25: Nick Starkel #17 of the Texas A&M Aggies looks to pass during the first half against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on November 25, 2017 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) Texas A&M quarterback Nick Starkel is the latest signal-caller to enter the NCAA transfer portal. The NCAA transfer portal is heating up with big names at quarterback throughout the country. The likes of Jalen Hurts, Tate Martell and Austin Kendall have all moved on to different schools. The latest to join them is Texas A&M backup, Nick Starkel. On Tuesday, Starkel announced he is looking to transfer, thanking Aggie fans for their support in a post on Twitter. “I am forever thankful for all of the help I have received and I am blessed to have developed important relationships with my professors, mentors, coaches, teammates and many others,” Starkel wrote on Twitter. “I will always cherish my time at Texas A&M. I will be an Aggie for life! I am also excited to play more football. I will explore finishing my final two years of eligibility at another school.” Starkel will look to join another program as a graduate transfer and has two years of eligibility remaining. While the loss of Starkel hurts the Aggies’ depth, Kellen Mond clearly proved he is the right man to lead this program moving forward under head coach Jimbo Fisher. Not long ago, Starkel was the starter heading into the 2017 season. However, a knee injury limited him to seven games and Mond showed flashes in his absence. The two split time and Starkel finished the season with 1,793 yards and 14 touchdowns to six interceptions. He did set Texas A&M freshman records in the Belk Bowl loss to Wake Forest for passing yards (499), attempts (63), completions, (42) and touchdowns (4) in a bowl game. Thank you Aggieland 👍🏼 pic.twitter.com/7CRUy2YxkU — Nicholas Starkel (@NickStarkel) January 23, 2019 When Fisher took over, a quarterback controversy ensued. Both battled in fall camp, but the job went to Mond. Starkel barely saw the field, only appearing in four games. He threw for 169 yards and a single touchdown. Losing his starting job and the transfer portal filling up with talented quarterbacks ultimately led Starkel to his decision. A former three-star recruit coming out of Liberty Christian in Argyle, TX, Starkel should have a good amount of options for a fresh start. Oklahoma State, UCLA and North Texas all recruited him heavily and offered scholarships. It is possible he could look there or another Power Five program in Texas. With Starkel transferring, the Aggies are left with three quarterbacks behind Mond. Sophomore Connor Blumrick and redshirt freshman James Foster will look to win the backup job, but early enrollee Zach Calzada will be fighting for reps this spring as well.