New father Jacob Zeno came to A&M to be a part of something special

Hailing from the Alamo City, signal-caller Jacob Zeno is preparing for his seventh season of college football and his first as a Fightin' Texas Aggie. In an exclusive interview, the San Antonio native spoke about adapting to Collin Klein's offense, the birth of his baby daughter and more.

Key notes from Jacob Zeno interview

• San Antonio is a really slept-on city. We had guys everywhere moving out of San Antonio. I tell people it's a hidden gem. Most people focus on Dallas, Austin and Houston. Once people find out we have talent in San Antonio, they come out.
   
• I got hurt last year. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, whether I wanted to try and go to the NFL undrafted or give myself a better opportunity. Ultimately, I wasn't down the road and got the medical redshirt, then the recruiting started over again. In high school, Texas A&M was heavy on me to have me come out, but Collin Klein was here this time around. It was wild catching up on lost time. With Trooper Taylor and the guys, A&M felt like home.
   
• There is something special brewing here. We were one game away from an SEC title game last year. I want to be a part of something special here, and I'm only 2.5 hours away from home.
   
• Fall has been night and day compared to the spring. This is my first time getting into an offense that’s this complex. I had to strip down to ground zero and get my bearings. I was just getting the verbiage down, and after the spring game, I just feel good.
   
• The biggest difference as a QB is that there’s always room for improvement and the mental side of it. You can never be good enough, especially playing this position. Learning the little tendencies that the defense is doing…This is the SEC. It's different from anything I’ve played.
   
• Playing Georgia with UAB was fun because that was the year with all the dudes on Georgia’s defense. If I'm not mistaken, we scored the most points on them last season, so it was fun.
   
• I am a jack of all trades. I’m a passer and a runner. You can really put me in. If I need to be a runner, I can be a runner. I can be the thrower, too, when I need to be the thrower. One thing I hang my hat on is my passing accuracy. I take care of the ball. Once I get it to the guys down the field, they are doing the work. I just have to get the ball to them.
   
• Accuracy and speed are something I worked a lot on. My dad always tells me, “You have to be faster.” That comes with prep during the week. If you have the answer to the test, it makes it easy.
   
• My dad has been there from the beginning. I remember playing catch with him in the house, getting yelled at by my grandma. I started playing football at three or four years old, and I was a running back at the time. One day, I was throwing the ball, and he said, “Man, you kinda have an arm.” Then he was my QB coach until around middle school. He has always been in my corner. I can’t ask for a better dad than that.
   
• Now my dad is a grandpa. My first daughter was born earlier this month. I understand when people say it’s a feeling you can’t understand. I’m not a big crier, but I was like, “Dang, that’s a part of me. That’s mine.” No matter how many sleepless nights I have, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Every day, she grows into a different person. Even a week from last Tuesday, she has changed drastically. She’s getting her own little personality. It's great.
   
• With the weapons we have on offense, it's scary. Being at practices, seeing everything, you see how we have a chance to be special this year. You can feel a bond forming on the team. I think that’s the most important thing. When you do it for the person next to you and truly care about your teammates, that's important. Guys wanting to do more, it's a good thing when you have coaches tell you to stop, get off the field, you can’t do extra. That’s a good problem to have. I just can’t wait for the season to unfold.
   
• I think TK Norman has a good chance to have a breakout year. KC Concepcion, Mario Craver, Micah Riley and Amari Niblack, he’s insane. Niblack is a nightmare because to have that size and lineup at receiver or tight end, it’s a mismatch. It’s scary.
   
• If you want to have a good passing game, you have to have a good running game. That’ll make everyone’s job a whole lot easier. If you try to attack the box, the ball’s going over your head. You’re always off balance.
   
• The dynamic in the QB room is the greatest. We love one another. We’re always hanging out. It’s a really good room. The difference with Marcel Reed is that you can tell he’s locked in and eager to get better. He’s making plays and just playing football. It’s a good thing to see.
   
• I can’t wait to see what those guys do against somebody else. It’s going to be great. I just can’t wait.