Marcel Reed’s Heisman chatter isn’t coming out of thin air. After carving up Arkansas with 280 passing yards and three touchdowns, plus 55 rushing yards and another score in a 45-42 win on October 18, the Texas A&M quarterback pushed the Aggies to 7-0 and their best start since 1994.
He went 23 of 32 for a career-high 71.9% with no interceptions and engineered a clutch fourth-quarter drive, the sort of composure that moved his preseason odds from +5000 to as short as +700 at some sportsbooks.
“They tried to put a quote up there that I said that Death Valley was underwhelming,” Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed said. “And shoot, I guess it was. They didn’t do much to me.” This line, delivered after the LSU game, was reported by ESPN and landed like a clean walk-off.
Through seven games, Reed has stacked numbers that justify the hype: 1,770 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and just four interceptions while completing 61.9%. Add 241 rushing yards and four more scores, and he’s already at 2,011 total yards.
He’s accounted for both a passing and a rushing TD in multiple outings, has limited mistakes despite nearly 29 attempts per game, and is averaging 287.3 total yards. Head coach Mike Elko framed the evaluation earlier this season: sometimes Reed won’t make a throw like the Tom Brady types, but those guys can’t run like Reed, and the total package is the point.
His growth under offensive coordinator Collin Klein (a former Heisman finalist as a dual-threat) tracks with how past dark-horse winners emerged, from Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield to Kyler Murray and Joe Burrow.
Then came LSU, and a louder stage. Texas A&M improved to 8-0 with a 49-25 road win over the No. 20 Tigers, their first 8-0 started in 1992, according to On3 insider Pete Nakos. The Aggies, now No. 3 in the AP Top 25 behind Ohio State and Indiana, broke it open after halftime, outscoring LSU 35-7 over the final two quarters.
Reed finished 12 of 21 for 202 yards and two touchdowns with 108 rushing yards and two more scores, while the run game totaled 224 yards and four TDs.
The mic drop matched the moment: a quarterback with rising Heisman traction, an undefeated team, and a road blowout that turned trash talk into fuel. After a bye, Texas A&M visits No. 15 Missouri on November 8.
