CFB Analyst Issues Challenge to Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed

There’s one area of Marcel Reed’s game where one college football analyst challenged the Texas A&M quarterback to take the next step.

Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed warms up before the game against the Texas Longhorns at Kyle Field. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Quarterbacks win over teammates, coaches and fans by winning on the field. Whether it is fair or not, it is the position for which public perception is most directly tethered to the result on the field. Quarterbacks have an uneven impact on the game and are held to a higher standard.

Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed took over as the Aggies’ full-time starter in 2025 after having a promising season in 2024. While the year ended with back-to-back wins, he showed he could operate the offense and compete with the best teams in the country, winning 11 games in a row to open the campaign.

Reed’s development is ongoing — both on the field and off the field — and one college football analyst wants him to respond in 2026 by improving in one key area.

J.D. PicKell Challenges Marcel Reed To Step Up as Texas A&M’s Leader

Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed runs with the ball during the game between the Aggies and the Hurricanes at Kyle Field. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Reed proved he could be one of the SEC’s top quarterbacks, even working his way into midseason Heisman Trophy conversations amid Texas A&M’s 11–0 start. However, the season’s end was disappointing, as was his performance individually.

Consequently, Reed has to answer not whether he and the Aggies can compete in the SEC but whether they can do it again. Texas A&M has not yet played in an SEC Championship Game, the program’s next step after its College Football Playoff debut.

To get there, Reed will need to be the engine that carries both the offense and the team. On3 college football analyst J.D. PicKell challenged Reed, saying that the most impactful result Texas A&M could get out of spring camp is his emergence as the team’s leader and taking the next step in his development.

“I want to hear the Marcel Reed buzz at the same level that the John Mateer buzz was last year, or two years ago, the Cam Ward buzz,” he said on “The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell.”

“If you're hearing things about Marcel Reed truly being a dude now in that offense at a different degree, that would fire me up. … I still want to hear, 'Hey, he is dialed in, he's playing confident, he's got his feet in the ground.' When Marcel Reed played confident, feet-in-the-ground kind of football last year, he was one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC and all of college football.”

Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed throws a pass during the first half against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Reed threw for 3,169 yards and 25 touchdowns with 12 interceptions in 2025. He had a 15-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio in Texas A&M’s first seven games; however, he ended the season with a 10-to-8 ratio in the final six games, including four two-interception games and zero touchdowns against Texas or Miami (FL).

However, he showed plenty of improvement — most importantly, playing with confidence and decisiveness. While not a run-first quarterback, he was willing to let his athleticism be the key to wins and took what the defense gave him. Reed ran for 493 yards and six scores.

PicKell shared a story about how Reed was not Texas A&M’s representative for SEC Media Days ahead of the 2025 season, and he asked a local media personality about Reed’s place on the team. They shared that Reed had not yet won over the team — but have things changed?

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko said that where Reed needs to improve is no different than the rest of his team: consistency. After the late-season collapse, the team is ready to take the next step to achieve its goals.

Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed celebrates with running back Rueben Owens II after Owens rushed for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

“Consistency and urgency have been the two words that we've really used a lot in the room,” Elko told the media at a press conference on Feb. 16. “I think that applies to Marcel. I think there were times where you saw him play quarterback at an elite level, and there were times where he didn't.”

“I think how we get him to be urgent and consistent in his performance week in and week out, that's the next step for him and everybody in our program.”

While Reed and the offense will miss wide receiver KC Concepcion as he departs for the NFL, the Aggies made a priority to keep talent around Reed. The team brought in Isaiah Horton from Alabama, who will help elevate the receiving room alongside budding star Mario Craver.

Texas A&M is giving Reed every opportunity to succeed and take the next step after watching him match and exceed expectations in 2025. As a redshirt junior, Reed is still developing on the field and off the field. If he can take the next step, the Aggies may go as far as he does.

“If Marcel Reed takes that next step, A&M is going to have a really good chance to be in Atlanta [for the SEC title game]. Full stop,” PicKell said.