Texas A&M QB Conner Weigman back to 'full speed'

DALLAS, Texas (KBTX) - The health of Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman is of paramount importance to those that follow the Aggie football team, after the sophomore missed the majority of last season with a broken bone in his foot.

However, first-year head coach Mike Elko said he’s spent the summer quieting any alarms to the health of the Aggies’ starting quarterback heading into fall camp. Thursday, his latest assurance came in a local media scrum prior to A&M’s appearance at Southeastern Conference Media Days at the Omni Dallas Hotel.

“He’s healthy now, like I said he would be. We knew that was coming, it just wasn’t there as quick as maybe we needed into be for spring ball, but we were never going to have a record coming out of spring ball,” Elko said. “You guys were a lot more worried about that than I ever was. I’ve been trying to calm yo guys down on that for a while.”

Weigman participated in spring practice in a limited capacity and was still visibly limping at times while running through drills. Paired with a weaker wide receiver group, Weigman went 5 for 14 day for 47 yards in A&M’s spring game, a non-contact endeavor for quarterbacks.

“He’s running now,” Elko said. “He’s full speed. He’s doing everything We’re doing from an athletic standpoint: running, conditioning, cutting, all of that. And so, I think he’s getting really confident in where his body is.”

The hardest part of the recovery process, Elko said, is the mental toll being sidelined takes on athletes. Weigman spent the final eight games of last season, and then the bowl game, watching from a scooter on the Aggie bench.

“Him being healthy now and able to go out there, you’re starting to see that energy,” Elko said. “You’re starting to see him really come into himself and, obviously, it’s going to be really important for us to get good at quarterback play this fall.”

Weigman is entering his third season in college football, but has only played in nine total games. In his freshman season, he didn’t take over the starting role until the late-October matchup with Ole Miss, four games until the end of the regular season. Last year, he was injured four games into the campaign.

Through those games, he has completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 1,885 yards and 16 touchdowns. He’s only thrown two interceptions.

Experience is where Weigman can make the biggest strides, Elko said.

“He just needs to stay focused on the day-to-day of becoming a great quarterback,” Elko said at the SEC Media Days podium.

“He’s got to pack experience into his brain that he’s got to learn off the field and I think that’s going to be critical for him as we move forward,” he continued.