Kenny Hill vs. Kyle Allen: Latest Updates, Reaction on Texas A&M's QB Battle

Latest Updates from Friday, Oct. 31

Laura Rutledge of ESPN has an official update on who Texas A&M's starter will be against SMU on Saturday:

Original Text

Earlier this season, Kenny Hill was a Heisman hopeful at the head of an SEC contender. Now, the sophomore quarterback isn't even guaranteed a starting job for Texas A&M after his recent performances.    

The quarterback famously known as Kenny Trill is suddenly in danger of losing his starting spot to true freshman Kyle Allen. Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jake Spavital provided the latest on the quarterback rotation, per Sam Khan Jr. of ESPN.com:

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We opened it back up. It's still wide open. We're going to split the [first-team] reps [Tuesday] and possibly on Wednesday and by Thursday we'll probably have a declared starter and they'll take all the reps for that Thursday practice. ...

Kyle came into my office and he asked me if this was for real. I said, 'Yeah, it is.' And he said, 'Good, because I'm going to try to go get it.'

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Hill started the season with five straight wins as Texas A&M looked like a national title contender, throwing 17 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Since that point, the Aggies have stumbled into a three-game losing streak, in which Hill has tossed six touchdowns and six interceptions.

Connor Tapp of 247Sports offered his take on the recent decline for Hill:

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After setting a school record for passing yards with 511 against South Carolina in the season opener, Kenny Hill struggled mightily in three consecutive losses to Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Alabama. The 59-0 shutout at the hands of the Crimson Tide was among the worst losses in school history.

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Losses are piling up, and some of the blame is seemingly falling on Hill. Luckily, Allen appears to have enough talent and potential to give the Aggies two legitimate options at quarterback.

Allen was the No. 1 pro-style quarterback in the 2014 class, via 247Sports' composite rankings, and enrolled in January. It also sounds as though Allen is more than ready for the moment, given his conversation with Spavital.

Coming up for the Aggies is a much easier matchup against UL-Monroe prior to traveling to Auburn. If Texas A&M does opt to make a change, Allen would essentially have a warm-up game before facing the No. 4 team in the nation.

Both quarterbacks also have another potential threat coming next season in Kyler Murray. For now, either signal-caller will be tasked with turning around the program in an SEC West that is loaded with some of the best teams in the country.

Updates from Thursday, Oct. 30

CBS Dallas-Fort Worth provides an update on the Kenny Hill vs. Kyle Allen quarterback battle at Texas A&M:

Jeff Tarpley of Gigem 247 confirms the move:

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Channel 11 television out of Dallas has reported and Gigem247.com has received confirmation via multiple sources that Texas A&M freshman Kyle Allen will start at quarterback Saturday versus ULM.

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Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle previously indicated the team wasn't expected to make an official announcement prior to Saturday:

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