For two of the most respected A&M quarterbacks in history, it is clear the A&M football program is on the right track.
Stephen McGee, who started as quarterback for the Aggies for the full 2006-2007 seasons, said he is very happy with the direction of the A&M program and thinks it benefited tremendously from its move to the SEC.
“We experienced the perfect storm,” said McGee, who resides in Pebble Creek and currently works as a financial advisor in College Station. “We had Johnny Manziel, we had the first year of the SEC and the price of oil was near $100 a barrel. So we had money coming in, an athlete that won the Heisman Trophy and we’re now in the SEC.”
At the same time, McGee said he knows from experience that you have to stay level-headed in athletics to be successful.
“As a former player, I know that they’re going to have ups and downs with freshman quarterbacks or quarterbacks who have barely started, so I’m so thankful for what Kevin Sumlin has brought to this school,” McGee said. “I don’t think people realize [his impact].”
Jerrod Johnson, who took over for McGee as the Aggie quarterback after McGee sprained his shoulder early in the 2008 season against New Mexico, shares McGee’s optimism of the state of A&M football.
“I’m happy with the direction it’s going,” said Johnson, who currently works as a private football tutor for high school quarterbacks. “I have a lot of respect for coach Sumlin, I have a lot of respect for his staff, I really like what he’s done as far as mixing in new-age things to our A&M traditions.”
Johnson said maybe the most impressive thing Sumlin has done is make A&M into a nationally known brand, from A&M’s state-of-the-art facilities to the mass of players he has already sent to the NFL in his short tenure.
“When A&M pops up, their eyes light up,” Johnson said of the 15-20 high school quarterbacks across the state whom he works with. “Whether it’s from jerseys, or Johnny [Manziel] or Kyler [Murray]. Whether it’s our players, our facilities, some of the stuff we do on social media, whatever. It’s really cool to hear them talk about A&M in a positive light and how we are pretty much the trending school in Texas right now.”
Both McGee and Johnson, who contribute to radio shows about A&M football in addition to holding their day jobs, were also excited with the way Murray played in his first career start, where he accounted for almost 400 total yards and two touchdowns.
“I think he did his job,” McGee said. “He didn’t do anything that wowed me, he just came in and did what he needed to do to win the football game. He didn’t turn the football over. We’ve got so many playmakers, it makes the quarterback’s job a distributor right now. I thought [Kyler] did a great job.”
McGee said South Carolina’s defense was “terrible” last weekend, and he is interested to see how Murray responds when he plays tougher opponents down the road.
“He’s got some great tests coming up and he’s going to have to handle adversity,” McGee said. “I don’t think he’s had to handle adversity in his young career so that’s going to be something that his teammates and his coaches, and certainly fans, are all going to want to see him do, how he handles the bad.”
Johnson has a more personal relationship with Murray, as Johnson has worked with Kyler Murray’s dad, Kevin Murray, who also gives one-on-one lessons to young quarterbacks. Johnson said what stands out to him is not just his terrific talent, but also his stoic and consistent nature, no matter the situation.
“I was impressed with it, but I wasn’t surprised by it, either,” Johnson said. “[Kyler’s] such an impressive kid, maybe the most impressive thing about him is his temperament. Things are never too big, he’s never going to get too excited, he’s never going to get down. That’s just such a good thing to have when you’re stepping into that role.”
However, even though both Johnson and McGee liked what they saw from Murray, they said it was unfair to compare him to Manziel, and said they each possess their own skill set and are each a different quarterback.
Johnson said Kyle Allen’s throwing ability has NFL potential, and he said A&M is in good hands from a quarterback standpoint no matter who receives the majority of the playing time.
“Just two great kids, and two really talented quarterbacks,” Johnson said.
From the two former quarterbacks’ point of view, the Aggies are headed in the right direction, and will be a contender in the SEC for many years to come.
“At the end of the day, it’s the SEC West  ­— every team in the SEC is good,” Johnson said. “Auburn is a good football team, I think they’re going to bring their ‘A’ game [on Saturday]. But the good thing about now is that, through the recruiting that we’ve done, we can match up athletically with any team we play. So if we don’t turn the ball over and we execute our scheme, we should win the game.”