Trevor Knight explains why his excitement grows as A&M's season nears

Ahead of Year 2 of the Mike Elko era, former Aggie signal-caller Trevor Knight joined TexAgs Live to share his thoughts on where the program is at. Knight also spoke about Marcel Reed's ability to extend plays with his feet, his favorite games while in Aggieland and more.

Key notes from Trevor Knight interview

• We can feel it bubbling. It’s close. It's a lot of fun times and speculation.
   
• I do see similarities between Marcel Reed and me. I would love to say it's the poise and the polish, but I won't go that direction. What he's able to do in the run game provides that extra spark. I increasingly get more excited about Marcel as the offseason goes on. He is able to make all the throws and has been working with the new receiving corps. He's sharpening his craft, and I expect him to be very polished in the throwing game, while still having the ability to run extended plays and the design quarterback runs we've seen from Collin Klein and the staff in the past. I ran the ball too much in college. I hope he doesn't run as much as I, but he provides that wrinkle, which I'm excited about.
   
• I think I'm like everyone else. I get really excited this time of year. I'm wearing my colors today, and I start puffing my chest out because I get excited about the young men we have to lead the charge. I fall victim to getting upset on Saturdays if things don't go our way, and it's from the passion. I think we've got the tools to be successful, to get over that hump, have a 10-win season under our belt and make a run at the College Football Playoff. We're so close we can almost taste it, like the song says. I get critical Saturdays, but that comes from a guy who played the game and wants to see perfection out of our guys. Generally, I'm calm, cool, and collected, and I look at it from a fan's lens, loving these guys and the work they put in... I want them to be successful.
   
• It's a moving target for a quarterback. It's different now than when I was playing and 10 years prior. It’s been almost 10 years since I've put on the Maroon & White. Guys are getting better and sharpening their craft with offseason programs and technology. It goes back to the basics for me. Are you going to be a guy who's infectious in the locker room, who gets the guys playing the best ball for you? That's the type of leader you need at quarterback. Yes, you have to make plays and the 15-yard out-route throw on the sideline to get a third down to continue the drive. Yes, you have to make those. Day in and day out, you have to manage the emotions of the football team and get them believing they are better than they are. We have a ton of talent, but it's that belief in the locker that will get you over the hump late in November and the back half of the season.
   
• At the end of the day, it goes back to controlling what you can control. The guys in the locker room have opportunities to make money, which will be life-changing for their families. I'm a huge fan of that. They deserve that. At the end of the day, deep down to the core, they want to run on at Kyle Field and win football games. Control what you can control, get out there, get the guys rallied around you and produce on Saturday. I don't care what that looks like on Friday, but make sure you get yourself prepared and put your best foot forward.
   
• Looking back on it, a couple of commas wouldn't have been bad. The type of money being thrown around is a blessing, but it can cause some clouds over the top of their heads and may cause them to lose sight for a period of time, and that's the part that's frustrating to me. 18-22 years old, we thought we all had it figured out in that season of life, but there's a lot to manage as it is to become a man, be on top of school work and learn how to cook on a stove top. All the different things to manage and throw this into it, it poses a threat to focus, and that's what I don't like about it.
   
• I've got my estimated payout, and unfortunately, it may cover a couple of Chipotle bowls a year. I slid right in there right at the end and had a semester's worth of credit on that whole deal, but certainly not the opportunity some of these guys play in today.
   
• I think you can fall on both sides of the fence. As a fan, I go, “Man, we have pieces of the puzzle and could be exciting.” At the end of the day, you have to look at your first-time quarterback at a new school and back against the wall and outside factors. It doesn't lead to a high probability of crazy success. Am I saying Oklahoma won't have a good year? No. There's a lot to overcome. John Mateer is great and has proven it to me. He's like Dillon Gabriel when he came to Oklahoma. A guy who stepped in and knows the system is a solid figure for that offense. I'm on the fence with Oklahoma. It could be spectacular or a year that's disappointing. It all goes back to what I said. How will these guys rally in the locker room? Some of the teams I was a part of in the CFP, like Oklahoma, had guys like Joe Mixon, Samaje Perine and Baker Mayfield who were phenomenal, but they got everyone to elevate their game. During my years at A&M, we had professionals like Christian Kirk, Armani Watts and Myles Garrett. Winning is hard, but you have to have the right people in the locker room.
   
• There are quite a few games that were my favorite. Obviously, the UCLA opener. It was a cool moment not only for that year, but also an overtime win in the season opener, and UCLA was No. 16 in the country. For me, everything I did in the offseason was an emotional roller coaster, packing all my things in the snow in Norman, trying to earn respect from all the guys... It was a Kyle Field game-winning touchdown. My favorite game that year was the SEC road game at Auburn. We had a lot of fun after the game and on the way home.