Texas A&M's Marcel Reed Announces Decision on Returning for 2026 Season

The quarterback steered the Aggies to the College Football Playoff.

Marcel Reed and a nasty defense teamed up to lead Texas A&M to the College Football Playoff. / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

If Texas A&M has designs on returning to the College Football Playoff in 2026, it’s going to need quarterback Marcel Reed—and on Friday, Aggies fans learned their team will have him.

Reed is returning to play a fourth season for Texas A&M, he announced Friday evening. Mimicking Hall of Fame guard Michael Jordan’s famous announcement of his 1995 return, Reed’s Instagram statement read simply: “I’m back.”

The 21-year-old started all 13 games for the Aggies in 2025, throwing for 25 touchdowns against 12 interceptions while adding six scores on the ground. He ranked fourth in the SEC in passing touchdowns, fifth in passing yards and fifth in passing efficiency.

On the flip side, Reed threw half his interceptions in his final four games. Against Texas on Nov. 28 and Miami in the first round of the CFP on Dec. 20, Reed recorded zero touchdowns and four picks. Texas A&M lost both of those games—its only two losses of the season—and missed a chance to play Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl a few hours to the north.

The Aggies are scheduled to open year three under coach Mike Elko on Sept. 5 against Missouri State, with trips to LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma looming on their schedule.

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