Trevor Knight doesn't exactly claim that divine intervention brought him to College Station, Texas, but the phrase he has used to describe his move has been a "leap of faith."

If Knight, who spent the past four years at Oklahoma, was going to leave Norman, it had to be for "the perfect situation." Conversely, Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin needed the perfect quarterback to take over a position rocked by transfers and baggage over the past couple of years.

There was Knight, searching for a new home with one last year of eligibility left. More than 350 miles away, Sumlin, his program dragging and two starting quarterbacks departing almost simultaneously, was searching for a way to get A&M back on track as his seat heats up.

After a few phone calls and some help from an old friend, Sumlin found his guy, and Knight found his perfect situation.

"We filled a void for him ... and he filled a void for us as a guy who was not just a graduate transfer quarterback, but a guy you would actually want as a quarterback and played in big games and then brought in a maturity level," Sumlin said. "It's a good fit for us."

Trevor Knight enters the cauldron that is the SEC under pressure to stabilize a program that has been rocked by change over the past couple of years. Butch Dill/USA TODAY Sports

Good must turn into great, as both Sumlin and Knight need this relationship to flourish. If Knight wants a storybook ending to his college career, he'll have to show a more polished, less risky side. If Sumlin wants to keep coaching the Aggies, he'll need Knight to carry an offense with a new coordinator and a team that has underachieved since its meteoric rise in its 2012 SEC debut.

"I will say right now, it's a fresh start," Knight said. "I've got more confidence than I've ever had in my game just being in a new conference, a new place, new team, new offense and being named the starter again."

* * *

Texas A&M wasn't Knight's first choice after graduation, even though he spent four months committed to the Aggies back in high school. The senior, who was a captain at Oklahoma, honestly considered staying with the Sooners. Even with former Heisman finalist Baker Mayfield in front of him, Knight was content sitting and helping.

But ultimately, every quarterback wants to play. Knight said a handful of schools from the SEC, Pac-12 and even Big 12 reached out to him. Knight didn't need to be recruited again; he needed to make a business decision and find a situation that provided him the opportunity to play -- and play at a high level.

Knight, a San Antonio, Texas, native, reached out to Sumlin shortly after the regular season ended. But with Kyler Murray and Kyle Allen on the roster, Sumlin thanked him and politely said he wasn't interested in another quarterback.

"All the stars just aligned perfectly to make A&M be the perfect place for me." Trevor Knight

As fate would have it, everything changed a couple of weeks later, when both Allen and Murray transferred within a week of each other, reopening communication between Knight and Sumlin. The two discussed A&M's roster -- the lack of a proven quarterback and the playmakers around that position -- and scheme.

Noel Mazzone's up-tempo spread offense fit Knight, as did the chance to play immediately, with only former juco transfer Jake Hubenak in his way. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, who was once Sumlin's boss in Norman, gave both Sumlin and Knight his stamp of approval.

The chance to play close to home and outside of the Big 12 pushed A&M to the top.

"All the stars just aligned perfectly to make A&M be the perfect place for me," Knight said. "I felt like it was the perfect opportunity that I was running toward for my senior year."

* * *

While this is certainly a fresh start for both Sumlin and Knight -- who threw for 3,424 with 25 touchdowns and 19 interceptions and ran for another 853 yards with eight scores at Oklahoma -- high expectations and a healthy dose of pressure will be dumped on their backs. Talk of a lack of internal control has plagued Sumlin for the past few years, but Knight brings the maturity and leadership that A&M has lacked at quarterback. Knight was known for his gunslinging ability -- both good and bad -- but his claim to fame is his gutty, 45-31 upset win over Alabama in the 2013 Sugar Bowl, during which his ability to extend plays helped him scorch Alabama's world-class defense for 348 passing yards and four touchdowns.

"He's been in big games and he's won them," Sumlin said. "You can count them on one hand the guys who have done it [beaten Alabama over the past three years]. I'm not real smart, but that's a place to start."

Knight and Ole Miss' Chad Kelly are the only active quarterbacks with wins over Bama.

But the gunslinger style that helped him best Bama also cost him later. In 2014, Oklahoma went 8-5, as Knight completed 56.6 percent of his passes with 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, including pick-sixes in losses to Clemson, Kansas State and TCU. Knight threw picks in eight games, with three multi-interception performances. A year later, Knight watched Mayfield direct the Sooners' playoff run.

Kevin Sumlin enters 2016 needing a big season out of Trevor Knight if he wants to get off the hot seat. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

Those mistakes, which he hopes are behind him, could cost both Knight and Sumlin. So there's been a lot of emphasis put on ball security and decision-making with Knight, who won the starting job after the spring. Since Johnny Manziel left in 2013, Aggies quarterbacks have combined to throw 64 touchdowns to 30 interceptions. Vanderbilt is the only other SEC team to throw at least 30 interceptions over the past two years (35).

Sumlin seems more at ease with Knight, who is his first starting senior quarterback at A&M, but there's a sense it will be a week-to-week journey with these two.

"You know, the growth during your career can happen quicker if you understand where your shortcomings are, and there was no greater teacher than losing this opportunity at Oklahoma," Sumlin said.

"He has a better understanding of that now than maybe he had three years ago."

* * *

Knight insists the pressure is nothing. It's just noise that he has been used to since he started playing quarterback during kindergarten flag football in south Texas. Growing up idolizing high school Texas stars and then becoming one himself allowed Knight to face -- and dismiss -- negativity well before he stepped foot in Norman.

"I'm harder on myself than media or any person behind a Twitter feed," Knight said with a laugh.

That may be, but get ready for a firestorm at the first sign of trouble. Backup in the Big 12 is nothing like starter in the SEC.

And it all becomes more intriguing with the crisscrossing connections that have come full circle for both parties -- from Sumlin's five years at Oklahoma to Knight's A&M commitment leading to his playing days with the Sooners, which in turn led to Knight becoming the Aggies' starter.

"It's kinda funny how all that works," Knight said. "It definitely could be fate."

And whether he likes it or not, the fate of his coach's career is in his right hand. As Knight looks to reinvent himself, Sumlin is too. After bursting onto the SEC scene, Sumlin's stock has fallen with consecutive 8-5 seasons and drama -- from players transferring to coaches misbehaving -- creating a black cloud over the program.

Winning cures all, and Knight, who is aware of his coach's situation, isn't painting himself as a savior or getting caught up in out-of-the-huddle drama. He's in College Station to play football, and the better he is at that, the less talk he'll hear.

"If you start thinking about speculation and things like that, that's when you get caught up in things you can't get caught up in," Knight said. "It's a day-to-day process.

"If you focus on the process and not the end game or everything else that's going on, you most of the time arrive at the place you want to be at."