No. 19 Texas A&M's Marcel Reed determined to prove he's more than just a runner
He spent the offseason working to change that.
'I know y'all have also heard it just like I've heard it: I'm not a passer,' he said. 'But I feel like I've had tremendous growth in my passing this offseason. We've had some great receivers come in … I think I just feel a lot more confident back there. Finding ways to protect myself, knowing the offense a little bit better and just being confident as a quarterback.'
Reed started last season as Conner Weigman's backup before earning the job in October. He threw for 1,864 yards with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions and ran for 543 yards and another seven scores as the Aggies went 8-4.
Weigman transferred to Houston this offseason and Reed went to work on improving to help No. 19 Texas A&M take another step this year in the second season under coach Mike Elko. Reed attended the Manning Passing Academy this summer, learning from Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and his brother and NFL veteran Eli Manning.
'You learn a lot of different things about ways to be a quarterback, just how you approach the game,' Reed said. 'Peyton talked a lot about how he studied.'
Reed believes his offseason work will pay dividends this season.
'I feel like there's another gear, another level I can take it to this year,' Reed said.
In camp, Elko has already seen improvement in his quarterback.
'There's times where we're getting through progressions better than we did with him at any point last year,' Elko said. 'So those were the steps that we felt like he needed to take. Because a lot of times what you see as a bad throw, we see as the eyes not moving fast enough for the body or the eyes not in rhythm together and so poor mechanics because of that which sometimes leads to bad throws.'
Protecting Reed
Returning to protect Reed this season are veteran guard Ar'maj Reed-Adams and left tackle Trey Zuhn III.
Reed-Adams was named a first-team AP All-America Monday. He spent four seasons at Kansas before transferring to A&M last season and starting every game at right guard. Zuhn earned SEC third team honors last season and leads the team with 37 starts entering his fourth year as a starter.
Their work last season helped the Aggies finish as one of three teams in the Southeastern Conference to have 2,500 yards both passing and rushing.
Owens returns
Running back Rueben Owens returns after missing all but two games last season because of a foot injury. He sustained the injury in training camp and played in the regular season finale and Texas A&M's bowl game despite not being 100%.
Elko believes Owens can be a boost to their running game after he ran for 385 yards and three touchdowns in limited work as a freshman in 2023.
'He understands how much he loves this game and he loves getting to do it, and his urgency to do is it at a really, really high level,' Elko said. 'Every rep has probably stepped up, one, because (he's) a year older, but probably because that's what happens sometimes when it gets taken away from you like it did.'
Defensive standouts
The Aggies have a couple of veteran players returning to lead the defense in defensive back Will Lee III and linebacker Taurean York.
Lee earned SEC second team honors last season after ranking fifth in the conference with 10 passes broken up and 42 tackles. He also had two interceptions, including one that he returned 93 yards for a touchdown against Texas.
York, who was named to the second team on the preseason All-America team, led the Aggies with 82 tackles last season and ranked second with 9 1/2 tackles for losses.
The schedule
The Aggies open the season Aug. 30 with a visit from UTSA. A big early test comes Sept. 13 with a visit to No. 6 Notre Dame, which won 23-13 at Kyle Field to open last season. The Aggies open SEC play Sept. 27 against Auburn, the first of three consecutive home games. There's a tough stretch later in the season with a trip to No. 9 LSU on Oct. 25 and a visit from 13th-ranked South Carolina Nov. 15. The Aggies visit top-ranked archrival Texas on Nov. 28.
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