Marcel Reed's Heisman Odds for 2026 Are Better Than You Might Think

Tomorrow will be close to a month since the Texas A&M Aggies' playoff hopes were dashed at the hands of the Miami Hurricanes, the second straight season that Texas A&M has tasted defeat from a national championship contender.

Nevertheless, the 2025 season was still very much a step in the right direction for the Texas A&M Aggies and head coach Mike Elko, and a large part of that was the on-field leadership of quarterback Marcel Reed.

Though Reed struggled in the two big games that closed out Texas A&M's campaign, the hopes are still high for the Nashville native in next season, including his name again being thrown in the mix for college football's most reputable individual accomplishment.

Marcel Reed Ranked Above Arch Manning In Early Heisman Trophy Rankings

Marcel Reed Texas A&M Aggies Footbal — Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) runs with the ball during the game between the Aggies and the Hurricanes at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

In a release by Kalshi Sports on X, they released a list of favorites for the Heisman Trophy, along with some percentages representing their likelihood of winning, and sure enough, in second with a 14 percent chance of victory was the sophomore Texas A&M quarterback, behind only Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr, who was given a 15 percent chance.

Behind the two quarterbacks at 12 percent were Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin, Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning, Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, and Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney.

Kalshi is an American web-based prediction market that is primarily used for sports betting and has also been used to place bets on cultural events, such as economic trends and even politics.

Up until the last portion of the season, primarily the season finale against the Texas Longhorns, Reed was considered a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, along with Sayin and the eventual winner, Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

Reed's Heisman-esque portion of the season saw him lead an upset of Carr and the Fighting Irish in South Bend during Week 3 of the season with a late touchdown to tight end Nate Boerkircher with just 11 seconds left in the contest.

Reed also steered the ship that led to Texas A&M's biggest comeback win in school history against the South Carolina Gamecocks in mid-November.

After falling behind 30-3 at halftime, Reed would lead four straight scoring drives to begin the second half and the defense would do their part as well in pitching the shutout in the latter 30 minutes of the game to give the Aggies a 31-30 win to stay undefeated.

But once the Aggies stepped foot into Austin against Manning and the Longhorns, it was like a flip switch for Reed, and not in a good way.

The struggles that filled his first half against South Carolina made up his entire game against A&M's biggest rivals and piled on in the fourth quarter, which saw Reed throw interceptions on back-to-back drives, putting a quick end to any comeback that the Aggies were brewing as they took their first loss of the season, 27-17.

Reed and the Aggies will begin their 2026 campaign when they host Missouri State at Kyle Field in College Station on September 5.