On Wednesday morning, USA TODAY senior national college football columnist Blake Toppmeyer released his exclusive interview with Texas A&M coach Mike Elko, centered around the third-year head coach’s authenticity, which has led to consistent recruiting success, while leading the Aggies to the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history just five months ago.
Leading the offense over the past two seasons, redshirt junior quarterback Marcel Reed enters the most important year of his football career, leading an Aggie passing game that features “crazy good” weapons in the passing game, led by junior wide receiver Mario Craver, and Alabama transfer WR Isaiah Horton.
Sticking with steadfast avoidance of anything “fake,” surrounding Texas A&M’s football program, which was the theme of Toppmeyer’s interview, Marcel Reed fully understands that, even after throwing for a career-high 3,169 yards and 25 touchdowns, his 12 interceptions, which were second most in the SEC, directly led to back-to-back losses to Texas and Miami in the first round of the CFP.
Still, the Aggies have accomplished more in two years with Marcel Reed as the starter than many expected, providing consistency to a quarterback compared to the injury issues that plagued the Aggies every season after reliable starting QB Kellen Mond departed the program.
For Reed, the Tennessee native feels that the Aggies deserve more national recognition, even after falling short during their first CFP appearance. The future is undoubtedly bright, and ahead of what could be Reed’s final season in College Station, his confidence will serve as a catalyst for Texas A&M’s offense in 2026, looking to capitalize on last season’s success.
“Our name is Texas A&M. We’re always known for having good recruiting classes but not doing anything with them,” Reed stated, “but these past two years have been different than what it has been before. I think people should start noticing that, because we’re tired of it, obviously.”
Reed’s career year, combined with Cashius Howell’s unanimous All-American status and SEC-leading 11.5 sacks, is just more proof that Mike Elko and his veteran coaching staff’s development strategy will continue to pay off, especially with the 2025 and 2026 signing classes, which feature a long list of players vying for starting or key rotational spots this season.
“We think we should have as much recognition as anybody else, because we’re up-and-coming, and we’ve proved it.”
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Redshirt junior QB is ‘tired’ of Texas A&M’s lack of recognition
Reporting by Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
