Marcel Reed is maybe at the lowest point of his Texas A&M career yet right now after his performance in the Kentucky game this past Saturday. Reed’s progression this offseason was a big time talking point among program insiders, but through one quarter of the regular season, it’s something that has yet to consistently manifest.
The game against Kentucky was really the nadir for Reed, who went 26-49ers only 236 yards, recording 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. There was a lot wrong with the entire team that day, but Reed’s performance really stuck out to fans— and he’s been the target of quite a bit of dissatisfaction since that point.
It’s grown to the point now that there are quite a few people calling for his job to be turned over to someone else in the quarterback room. However, in the face of that kind of public pressure, Mike Elko and Reed’s teammates are responding with quite a different message— the exact kind that Reed needs in this moment.
Mike Elko and Texas A&M football are still standing fully behind Marcel Reed
In yesterday’s presser, Mike Elko was asked— albeit in a sort of oblique way— about Marcel Reed’s job security at quarterback right now, and Elko responded with confidence in his signal-caller:
Mike Elko: "I have a lot of confidence in Marcel. I believe in Marcel, and Marcel is our quarterback."
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) September 21, 2026
For whatever people think of this sentiment— and a journey down to the replies to this post will show you that it wasn’t exactly a popular one— this is the right move from Elko. The Aggies’ head man has already pointed out that Marcel’s struggles appear to be mental right now rather than physical— so coming out and publicly supporting him in the face of all of this pressure is what is needed right now rather than giving into it.
Some may say that this is instead a coach who is far too stubborn, and that a good coach would recognize when something is not working and make a change. However, we already know that Elko is a guy that will do that: in fact, in the 2024 LSU game, that’s exactly what brought in Marcel in as the starter! This complaint also presupposes that there is enough evidence right now to support benching Marcel, which is plainly not the case— for however bad his performance against Kentucky was, it was an uncharacteristic one.
Elko wasn’t the only one with a message of support for Marcel— his teammates sounded off today with the same sentiment. Here’s what Mario Craver had to say:
Mario Craver on Marcel Reed: “Honestly, Marcel, throughout the (off)season, I told you he's got a lot better, and I'm not going to (go) back on that. Like he's definitely got a lot better in every aspect of the game. I think last week he just got in his head a little bit and let…
— Tony Catalina (@Tony_Catalina) September 22, 2026
The last thing this Texas A&M team needs right now is toxicity in the locker room. This is a team that is pulling together in the face of pressure rather than coming apart right now— and that’s what needs to happen for them to have success. I expect to see this squad come out firing on all cylinders against the Tigers this weekend— and they may just emerge with another top-10 road win on their ledger.
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