The 2024 season for Mike Elko’s Texas A&M was all about Marcel Reed. After stepping in for an injured Connor Weigman, Reed delivered one of the most impressive comebacks of the season against LSU. He became a crucial part of the Aggies’ well-functioning offensive system. As we approach the 2025 season, Reed appears ready, especially with new additions and fresh energy in the offense. However, one key aspect of Reed’s game is an issue that could significantly impact his upcoming season.
Marcel Reed passed for 1,864 yards and proved vital in the ground game, notching up 547 yards. Sure, his passing efficiency wasn’t world-class, but the QB was still learning and adapting to the offense. And now, 6 months after the season has ended and with a month to the 2025 season, Mike Elko has touted Reed’s development as impressive and predicts him to be the difference maker.
“He got thrust into some really tough, some really difficult situations last year, and now he goes into this year as the clear starter. I think he did a really good job of taking the steps he needed in terms of learning the game, learning the offense, and learning how to study defenses, and I think you’re just going to see him be an absolute difference maker this year for the Aggies,” said Mike Elko. So, after spending a full offseason, the guy looks ready, at least according to Elko. However, Reed still isn’t satisfied with his progress in the weight room.
Reed appeared at the Fall Camp press conference and answered several questions ranging from his development to passing improvement. One such question revolved around his gaining weight and the progress that he had made in the room. And Marcel Reed? He was honest about the whole situation. “Right now, I’m a little low, sitting at 182. I’m trying to be at probably like 187 around the season, just because I would go up and down, trying to reach 183, 184 today. That was my goal for just the start of camp,” declared Reed, and went on to give his take on his ultimate ‘weight’ goal.
“You know, 190 was the goal. But there’s still a little bit of time. Probably won’t hit it just because we’re going to be in practice and stuff like that, but yeah, I’m sitting around mid-180s right now,” concluded the Aggies QB. It seems we are more likely to see a 185-lb quarterback under the Aggies’ center this year. And what if Reed loses some more weight in the fall camp? It could be detrimental to his season, too, and also for him as a dual-threat QB.
NCAA, College League, USA Football: Las Vegas Bowl-Texas A&M at Southern California Dec 27, 2024 Las Vegas, NV, USA Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko reacts against the Southern California Trojans in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Las Vegas Allegiant Stadium NV USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKirbyxLeex 20241227_lbm_al2_331
Though we have seen NFL QBs like Jayden Daniels functioning effectively as a dual threat with significantly less weight. That said, having the anomaly of Jayden Daniels (6’4″ and 210 lbs) and Lamar Jackson (6’2″ and 205 lbs) isn’t a guarantee that Reed would also fit the role of a dual-threat QB. Even Jalen Milroe, while slightly lighter, was still 220 lbs to function efficiently at Alabama. All in all, the weight loss could become a real problem with injuries for Marcel Reed in the 2025 season. Then there is the concern of injuries, too.
Mike Elko reflects on key injuries last year and the way ahead
Some of the injuries last year were quite concerning for the Aggies, as we saw center Mark Nabou getting sidelined and RB Le’Veon Moss suffering a knee injury. All in all, Connor Wiegman’s injury might have been the entry ticket for Reed behind the center, but injuries in general surely affected some of the squad’s production. And now? This year, with a lighter Reed, the injury concerns for him could intensify; however, the head coach looks at some positives from last year’s injury struggles.
“I think when you look back at last year, the one positive on the injury front was that you didn’t have a lot of soft tissue injuries. You didn’t have a lot of things happen in practice. So for the most part, the things that happened were without your ability to control them, and that as a coach is really important. You hope that maybe some of those breaks change a little bit this year with some of the guys we lost in-game,” said Mike Elko.
Apart from the above players, the Aggies also lost their crucial running back Rueben Owens, along with Tyreek Chappell. The injuries might not have hurt the Aggies team too greatly, but this year, injury management becomes important. Why? Mike Elko and his players aren’t just looking for 8 wins again; the goal now would be at least 10 wins, with a playoff mark as a secondary priority. That would mean not being able to afford to lose key players, including Marcel Reed.
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