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By Jordan Sigler
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No quarterback who played in the College Football Playoff last season has more to prove this fall than Texas A&M's Marcel Reed.
Reed would win the starting job from Conner Weigman by the end of the 2024 campaign, prompting Weigman to transfer to Houston. As a full-time starter in 2025, Reed led Texas A&M to a big victory over Notre Dame in Week 3 and had the Aggies undefeated before playing Texas in the final week of the regular season.
Reed played his worst game of the year against the Longhorns, throwing for 180 yards and two interceptions. He added 71 yards on the ground, but it wasn't enough in a 27-17 defeat to a three-loss Texas team. The loss kept the Aggies from playing in the SEC championship and earning a first-round bye in the CFP.
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Miami's defense stifled Reed in the first round. He threw for 237 yards and two interceptions in a 10-3 loss to the Hurricanes.
An SEC coach noted that Reed struggled against Texas and Miami in part because of how they limited the mobile quarterback.
An SEC defensive coordinator told Adam Rittenberg of ESPN that Reed has a hard time when defenses employ the zone defense and stop the run. Another SEC coordinator wasn't as kind, suggesting Reed couldn't play as a traditional quarterback.
"He still thinks he's a true quarterback, and we want him to, like, keep thinking that way," the coach said. "He doesn't really want to run, but when he does, it's the scariest part."
Reed ran for 493 yards and six touchdowns last season. When he struggled with throwing interceptions against LSU, Reed ran for 108 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Aggies escape Tiger Stadium with a 49-25 win on Oct. 25.
The schedule will be less kind for Texas A&M this season, and one would expect SEC defenses to plan for how to stop Reed this fall. It'll be up for the quarterback to put his team in the best position to succeed, and that might mean forcing the issue with his legs to open up the passing game.
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