We are witnessing the end of the graduate transfer debate.

If you need affirmation, take a look at a bright, beaming Texas A&M senior with Hollywood looks and a winning personality. If Trevor Knight wasn't running for the third-most yards by a quarterback so far this season, he'd be running for (student body) president.

For those remaining narrow-minded haters out there who would rail against the unfairness of fluid player mobility, your argument has been lost.

The decade-old graduate transfer rule allowed Knight to play one final -- perhaps glorious -- season as an Aggie.

The rule allowed him free-agent options. Sounds crass. It isn't.

Knight has transformed himself and Texas A&M football after transferring. Halfway through the season, Knight is one of the main reasons the Aggies are 6-0 for the first time in 22 years.

While his completion percentage may be lacking, his running ability has amazed.

"I was shocked," offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone said. "I don't know what game it was, he pulled it down and ran. I said, 'Holy cow this guy can run.'

"What you love about him: He's driven. All the great ones are."

Great? The main reason he's here is Knight went through the interception yips at Oklahoma. He lost his job in 2015 before transferring for his final year of eligibility at A&M.

Both sides -- the Aggies and their new quarterback -- needed healing. Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin basically lost his entire quarterback depth last December as both Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray transferred under circumstances that still aren't fully understood.

Knight arrived in January. The San Antonio native had been recruited heavily by Sumlin. In three seasons at OU, Knight threw for almost 3,500 yards and added a transcendent Sugar Bowl upset of Alabama in 2014.

Then came the spin cycle they don't tell you about on the National Letter of Intent. Knight had been a hero against Alabama but became something less after falling in behind Baker Mayfield as the backup.

"I wasn't the starter anymore," Knight said. "I guess you could say [my] confidence wasn't quite as high."

In the process, though, became a PSA for what the NCAA wants out of its athletes. Knight got his degree in business management before his eligibility ran out, which allowed him the ability to transfer to Texas A&M without restriction.

No one really opposed this particular case. Mayfield was blossoming. A&M needed a QB. Still, there are critics of the 10-year-old grad transfer rule.

"I think it would be horrible [to rescind the rule],", said Ohio University professor and NCAA reformer David Ridpath. "You look at the good things the NCAA has done the last couple of years. This would be a major step backward.

"If you don't want them to be employees, don't treat them as employees. Every athlete should have a one-time transfer exception."

Would you really want to deny the Aggies' quarterback a shot at redemption? Would you really want to limit a humanitarian who has been on three mission trips to Haiti?

Would you want to take any of the shine off Saturday's Texas A&M-Alabama game that now qualifies as the SEC game of the year?

No, you wouldn't.

Trevor Knight is a case study in second chances. He has a Big 12 championship ring. Even if he was on the sidelines last season, Knight experienced the College Football Playoff.

"I was a captain on that team," he said. "I really enjoyed last season. That was such a special ride. You dream about those kinds of opportunities."

That's what the grad transfer rule is about. It doesn't mean Knight necessarily has to get a graduate degree.

It means he's got a year to pursue his football desires because his obligation to the amateur model has been met.

Now it's time to carve out a one-year legacy. Knight showed up at A&M and took over the weight room before taking over the locker room.

"I think he did a great job of being 'that guy,' which was desperately needed here," Mazzone added.

So desperately that Knight calmed Texas A&M's roiling waters the moment he stepped in at the SEC Media Days in July.

At that point, Texas A&M football just needed someone to say the right things. Besides those two five-star quarterbacks had transferred, coach Kevin Sumlin's credibility was being nicked.

"Here's my take on it," Mazzone began. "He came in and it was a little bit of a volatile situation at the quarterback position. He did an awesome job of coming in and embracing the rest of the team, being a leader."

You can tell as many weight room jokes as you want or lead sprints or make friends with the guys. If you can't play, well, that's an issue.

Knight revealed a new side of himself with his running ability. Against Arkansas, he had scoring runs of 48 and 42 yards (157 total). Against Tennessee, he might have been the difference with a five total touchdowns in a two-overtime win.

Only Louisville's Lamar Jackson and South Florida's Quinton Flowers have more rushing yards among quarterbacks than Knight's 502. Knight averages the most yards per rush (7.72) among qualifying quarterbacks.

"After spring ball, I kind of felt like we had an athlete that played quarterback," Mazzone said. "What we wanted is a quarterback who is athletic. He's made great strides in the last four or five weeks."

There will be a temptation this week to harken back to that Sugar Bowl 2 ½ years ago. Knight threw four touchdowns and was the game's MVP.

With a new, different, better Alabama looming, that result might as well be 20 ½ years ago.

Since then, Texas A&M has lost 59-0 to Alabama. It hasn't beaten the Tide since that magic Manziel year in 2012. Meanwhile, Knight slogged through a dreary 2014. Against Kansas State that year, he threw a head-scratching interception from his own 1-yard line that has been immortalized on the internet.

Mayfield then transferred in from Texas Tech. Bob Stoops switched offensive coordinators to Lincoln Riley. Knight lost the job.

"I always believed in that team," said Knight of Oklahoma, adding: "I've been welcomed with open arms."

Some of the credit for Knight's rebirth goes to Mazzone. He's considered the gold standard among offensive coordinators. His last three quarterbacks have been UCLA's Josh Rosen (almost 3,700 passing yards as a freshman), Brett Hundley (now in the NFL) and Arizona State's Brock Osweiler (starting for the Texans).

The only Power Five conference in which Mazzone, 59, hasn't coached is the Big 12. Meanwhile, Knight is the first grad transfer quarterback he's had to tutor. And it shouldn't matter. One-third of all students overall transfer.

For the remainder of one, final -- perhaps glorious -- season, Knight is having the time of his life.

"He was a grown-ass man when he showed up here," Mazzone said. "It was kind of cool the maturity that he'd been in battles.

"To be honest with you, we've never talked about what was here before or what happened now. He was our guy."